Gray's The Monument
by 3rdFaction
Summary: NarutoxSlightDBZ After disappearing 3 years ago and presumed dead, Naruto's back and he’s brought a friend. But what are their true intentions?
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own either Naruto or Dragonball Z. 

Notes: Thought it would be fun to write and since no one else had.. uh yeah..

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Dialogue: "talking" - normal speech 

_In italics _- thoughts

**-: Flashback :- **

**

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Prologue**

A gentle breeze brushed passed two distant figures standing on the horizon of Konoha's North Gate. It seemed like an eternity since he last saw it, the place where he grew up as a child. He'd always had the mixture of both love and hate for it's very being.

"So this is Konoha? Look's just how you described."

"Well obviously, you know i don't lie. And hey, it wasn't like i was going anywhere at the time."

"Heh, i guess your right. A good thing too, otherwise i would never have found my best friend."

"Haha, but of course. And learning from you has been the best part of my life."

"Likewise, because of you even i have reached new levels. But remember, suppress your power at all times, we don't want to attract any unwelcomed attention... just yet, if your plan is to succeed."

"Yeah, yeah i know. I wonder how everyone is doing since the last time i saw them."

Amidst the flurry of dancing leaves two Chuunin of the Leaf stood at the Gate casually conversing in conversation not noticing the two gradually coming into view.

"..therefore we can't, even if we wanted to!" said one of the Chunnin.

"Oh come on, it'll be a good time to relax, especially since i heard news that the Sound are planning to attack again soon, and with the Jounin exam a few days away we have to be on constant alert!" countered the other. Both looked down at their feet and sighed, remembering their fallen comrades from the last time the Sound attacked the village.

A sound of shoes scuffling the dirt road could be heard, slowly intensifying in volume. Perking their heads up from their daydream, the Leaf Chuunins noticed two figures heading towards them at slow pace. Silence washed over them as they watched the two make their way to the Gate. They stopped a few feet away.

"Hold it right there! Who are you and what business do you have in Konoha?" Asked the Chuunin to the left.

"We are going to need some identification from the two of you or you're not getting in this village!" said the other in an authortive tone, trying to intimidate the seeming shinobi that stood before them.

The shorter of the two, though only by a few centimetres, raised an eyebrow and shot a glance at the second Chuunin to speak. He wore a simple blue shirt that was semi-tight around his muscular frame. Accompanying this was a set of normal black ninja pants with boots that extended upwards and encapsulated his legs to about halfway up to his knees. White wristbands were also present giving a sign of light in his dark appearance. His jet black hair bristled with the leaves behind him, contrasted by a deep currelean blue that showed for eyes. A forehead protector had been fastened around his forehead, clearly identifying him as a Grass Ninja. He carried a light-cream bag that was strapped around his right shoulder to his let hip.

"Of course we do, theres no need to shout." he simply stated

The figure to his left put his hand inside his left trouser pocket. His attire was similar to his companions, but instead he wore a deep green full length shirt, with a black training shirt over the top. He wore the same colour pants and boots and was even more physically developed then his friend which could be seen even through the baggy shirts he wore. He had hair just shorter than that of his patterns, with the same colour and just as messy, matched by his endless black eyes. He too had the same type of bag strapped to his body, whilst his forehead protector was fastened to his left upper arm.

As he drew his hand out, a piece of paper was shown. Lifting his arm out to the Chuunin, the man took it from him and read the contents carefully.

"So you're from the Village Hidden in the Grass and here to take the Jounin exam eh?" The two gave a slight nod. He continued "Its not common for Grass Ninja to be so open in their appearance from what we have seen, its quite refreshing i guess. We must also look in the contents that you carry on your backs for security reasons."

The Grass Ninjas gazed at the Chuunin who spoke as they undid the straps and showed the contents which consisted of the normal ninja clothing and weapons. The smaller gave a simple answer "We have nothing to hide." It was partly true.

He eyed them suspiciously after accepting what he saw, "You do realise that even though it isn't against the rules to have any less members, this Jounin exam is supposed to be taken with three Chuunin to a team?" wondering for the reason of the absent member, if there was one.

The taller of the two newcomers stepped forward after re-strapping his bag to his back. "Yes, we are well aware of this. However, at this time our third member had recently been killed on our latest mission, after we had already signed up for the exam. Though it was a success, she died in the line of duty for her village on a mission of great importance. A death any shinobi would be honoured by, wouldn't you agree?" he spoke with such confidence and without any emotion. This unnerved both Chuunins, though they had to agree with his statement and thought back to before.

"Yes... well your paperwork seems to be in order, you may enter the Village." replied the Chuunin that had been given the identification and handed it back to its owner.

Again, giving the slightest of nods they walked onward and into the village continuing at their previous pace.

After they were further enough away and out of hearing range the Grass Ninjas began to converse once again.

"I can't believe they bought that, nice save. Konoha is relaxed as ever, even with war on the near horizon. Though i got to give them credit for the amount of confidence they have in their ninja's ability, either that or they're just plain dumb. Thankfully my silly dream died on that great day, i'm going to enjoy seeing their faces when i tell them where i've been!" the shorter Grass Nin said with a wide grin.

"Heh heh, well don't get ahead of yourself just yet. We still have a fair way to go because of this 'plan' of yours. Why we couldn't just go kill'em all right out is beyond me, but i guess you just want to show off eh?" the other said, slyly.

"Ah you know me too well" the shorter chuckled "Now that phase 3 of the mission is complete, it'll become more difficult especially acting as stupid Grass Ninja."

"Just a little.. should be fun.."

In the blink of an eye they disappeared from sight as if they were never there, leaving an empty street road in their wake

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**End Chapter Notes **

So thats the Prologue, Chapter 1 should be up maybe tomorrow sometime.

- Thats a shade of blue, right?


	2. Out At Last!

Disclaimer: I don't own either Naruto or Dragonball Z. 

Notes: Took a little longer than expected due to other commitments, hope you enjoy it. Plus i've moved this to the Naruto Category since this story is heavily Naruto nased than DBZ. Please let me know if this a problem and if i should move it back. Thanks.

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Dialogue: 

"…" - normal speech.

_'In italics_' - thoughts

**-: Flashback :-**

**

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**

**Chapter 1 - Out at last!  
**

"Bye Sakura-chan! Don't worry I'll come back stronger and keep the promise I made to you and bring Sasuke back!" Konoha's number one unpredictable ninja shouted, adding his classic foxy smile.

The pink haired kunochi could only smile at his antics, though she would never admit, she would miss him and the village wouldn't be the same without his presence.  
"Yeah, next time we'll get him back for sure" she spoke softly to herself as she waved to him from the Gate.

Inwardly Naruto sighed, he couldn't believe the effort he had to put in to make himself look 'normal' in the village and fit in with the other kids. And what did he get for his troubles? Hate, pain and suffering. Every night he could see the cold, menacing stares the villagers would give him in the darkness as they looked back at him, whispering their disgust for his very being. It had all gotten to him long ago, but he tried to show it didn't bother him. If he did, then they'd have already won.

Thankfully the chance had arisen for him to train outside of the village which he immediately took. Finally he could get away from all that had caused his way of life and ridiculed him when he tried his best. To them, all he would ever be was the 'Demon Fox'. When he graduated to Genin, he thought he may be given just a little bit of respect, but it was not to be. And his so called 'friends' that he had made whilst becoming Genin still ignored him and considered him the 'dead-last'.

_'Yeah thats right, the so called 'dead-last_'.' He thought. _'The one who stopped Haku which their precious Uchiha couldn't. The one who beat that baka of a Hyuuga prodigy, when no one ever imagined he could. The one who defeated Gaara when he transformed into the Sand Demon by summoning the Toad Boss Gambunta while the Uchiha got his ass handed to him. The one who held off Kabuto from killing Tsunade by learning a technique in a week that took Jiraiya 3 years to master , and by doing so giving Konoha it's Gondamine Hokage_.' Naruto listed off. '_You'd think they'd show a little bit of respect and admiration for the achievements I have at my age. But then again, such is my life_.' He sneered. '_I can't believe people like Sasuke are born with others instantly loving and respecting them without them doing anything, and people like me aren't even acknowledged in the slightest, even when they work their asses' off to accomplish their goals._'

Sasuke. The very mention of that name disgusted him to the core. All he wanted was to be accepted as his equal, but Sasuke could never have it, always wanting to be stronger with his excuse being to kill his brother and restore his clan. Naruto's anger began to rise with the thought of him going far enough in his pursuit of power to shove a Chidori through the left side of his chest, even when he called him his best friend. A part of him knew Sasuke would never want to come back willingly and now regretted not using the full power of the Rasengen and show him he was stronger, another part had wanted to be ridden of the betraying bastard for a long time but never had the courage to speak of it.

After gathering his thoughts and calming himself he secretly thanked Akatsuki for giving him the opportunity to train properly without the intervention of others. Even though Jaraiya was a renowned pervert across the lands, he didn't have the title 'Legendary Sannin' for nothing. This was his chance, 3 years of training with Ero-Sennin. He would improve greatly and go back stronger than ever and prove to all those people that hated him that he wasn't that stupid demon that he contained within him and would gain their respect. Which was, after all, the only real thing he wanted from his home Village. To achieve this goal, becoming Hokage of the Hidden Village of the Leaf was a distant second, though he didn't want anybody to think that. Besides, it wasn't his supposed character to think of anything else.

Jiraiya glanced at him as he walked beside and saw him deep in though. Yes he would do all he could to improve his new student to both defend himself and his 'precious people' as Naruto liked to call them. He owed Arashi that, and much more.

Naruto turned his head to meet his sensei's "Hey ero-sennin, what's up?"

"Oh nothing brat, i just had new idea for gathering research" he quickly replyed, though it wasn't the best thing to say around his new apprentice.

"Damn pervert" Naruto muttered.

"What was that!" Jiraiya demanded.

"Nothing, nothing sensei. So, where are we going and what are we going to do? Three years is a long time. How strong do you think I can become?" he asked quite cheerily.

"That depends entirely on you Naruto and how determined you are. You will have a long way to go and i guarantee you, it won't be easy, but I have the utmost confidence in you that all your skills will be thoroughly enhanced when we return after our time away." With this a huge smile plastered Naruto's face, the Legendary Sannin continued, "But don't get ahead of yourself, you have a very long journey to travel before that time comes. Many challenges and hardship await. We will be travelling to all the countries to gain invaluable experience. But first we must go to the Continent to the West over the Great Sea. If my sources are correct it should help you greatly." Jiraiya said whilst they jumped from tree to tree.

On the third day of the journey they crossed the border of the Fire Country and into that of the Wind. The young shinobi, who had never been in the Wind Country before, immediately noticed the change in climate. It wasn't that it was hot; it was just extremely humid and sticky. '_Heh how do they get water out here, all i see is sand and more sand._' He thought. "Hey ero-sennin, are you sure this is the right way, we've been going for hours now and this dust and sand seem endless."

"Of course i know where we're going! What do you take me for!" Sensing the obvious witty remark that Naruto was about to make, Jiraiya interjected, "Ah, don't answer that. Anyway to answer your question we are on our way to a small town on the Edge of the Wind that has a Port overlooking the Great Sea. Here we can book a boat to get us across the sea. We should be there in a few more days." he ended.

'_And so the adventure begins_' the Genin thought

* * *

After a few more days and pit stops they arrived at the port. Jiraiya had told him to have a look around the town while he went to book a boat for the next trip to the West Continent. As Naruto wandered around aimlessly, he stumbled into what looked like the centre of the town. It was like no market place he had ever seen before. It was a huge square with stalls that encompassed the perimeter backing onto houses and Hotels. In the centre was a large fountain. As Naruto walked closer, he spotted an inscription that had been written on the sideof the pillars of the fountain where the water shot from. 

He read it to himself out loud, "We dedicate this memorial to the Ninja of Suna who protected our town in its time of need through the Great War." He looked up at the fountain again as the water splashed out of the top and trickled down to the pool below. He bent over to see how deep it went. The water was crystal clear and he could see his reflection with ease as if he was looking at himself through a mirror. Suddenly another head showed in the reflection.

"Not from around here are you lad." Said a voice beside him. Naruto spun to meet the person who spoke. Their eyes met, well his left eye met the stranger's right, the other had been covered by what looked like an altered version of what Pirates use to conceal an eye they had lost or damaged out at sea. The man was wearing a long dark coat that reached his ankles and black shoes matching the colour of his long beard.

"Er, no sir, i'm from the Village hidden in the Leaves." Naruto now stood up fully taking in the appearance of the man before him. He held out his hand and pointed at the man. "The names Uzumaki Naruto, future Hokage of Konoha and don't you forget it!" he exploded.

The man, momentarily fazed by the little outburst quickly recovered and looked the boy over. "I'm Barlock. So what you doing here lad?" he said notcing the leaf Head Protector on the boy's forhead, "Konohas a long way away."

"Well i'm training to become a better ninja so i can go back and prove to the villagers that i can be a strong shinobi so they will respect and acknowledge me." Naruto energetically replied, "Me and ero-sennin are travelling so i can learn lots of different jutsus and fighting styles. But we came here to get a boat to go to the West continent to begin my training." He finished.

The man raised and eyebrow at this "Boy, no one has travelled to the West Continent in a long time since it became bad for business when, what can only be described as a 'Sea Monster', began to destroy all the ships that were bound for the Pengaren Port. Every so often a team is dispatched to destroy the monster, but no one has ever come back." Barlock informed Naruto.

"Oh man, that, means ero-sennin won't be able to get us a boat." He exasperated, "And that means we came here for nothing" adding glumly.

The man gave him a confused look, "Who is the ero-sennin you're on about lad?"

"Oh Jiraiya-sensei, i call him that cos he's such a pervert." Naruto sneered

"WHAT! The legendary Jiraiya, creator of the famous 'Icha Icha Paradise' is your sensei!" the cloaked man exclaimed. As fast as lightning a small crowd had gathered around the two. Of course, all of which were men.

Naruto sighed '_Are all men perverts? Geez!_' A vein popped on the side of his head, "Yes that perverted man is my sensei. I can't believe you're all the same, you disgust me." He spat, but no one seemed to care for his words of distaste as they all started asking him questions:

"Is he here now?"

"Will he sign my book?"

"When's the next issue coming out?"

Growing angrier by the second, Naruto had had enough. He closed his eyes, took in a deep breath and yelled at the top of his lungs; "YES HE'S HERE, GO TO THE DOCKS AND FIND HIM FOR YOURSELF YOU BUNCH OF PE-"

A sudden shake of the ground stopped him mid-sentence. As he opened his eyes to find the cause of the commotion, all he saw was a trial of dust which had been left in place of the crowd. Slapping his forehead he turned back around to find that the strange man hadn't moved. "Heh, i thought you went with the rest of them Barlock, what's the deal?" questioned Naruto.

"Though i would gladly follow, i've got more important things to think about. The last ship sent to defeat the monster was 2 years ago, that day i lost my only son to the beast." The man sadly recalled. Naruto lowered his eyes, not knowing what to say in comfort. "However, i have managed to assemble a fine crew that are worthy and we will defeat the demon of the sea, but i must get back to finish the preperations." Barlock said. Naruto looked up sharply, this was the perfect opportunity.

"Hey Barlock, if me and ero-sennin come and help you destroy the Sea Monster will you take us to the West Continent in return?"

The man stroked his long beard slowly and looked to the sky. After a minute or two he stopped and made eye contact with Naruto again, "Alright lad its a deal, though you don't seem much, the Legendary Sannin would be extremely helpful in defeating the beast. The trade routes will be restored and i could find out if my son survived. Plus it would motivate the men to have such inspiration on board." Barlock said with immense satisfaction.

On the other hand our blonde haired Ninja was gritting his teeth as the man bad-mouthed his ability before him. "Hey you, i'll show you how good a ninja i am and everyone around here will remember the name Uzumaki Naruto when i've defeated the Sea Monster!" Naruto proclaimed. He would make sure that this town would see him in a different light.

"Heh, well ok kid, but i won't be held accountable for your safety while you aboard. Are you sure you want to do this?" Barlock queried.

"Of course, i promise to destroy the monster for this town. And i never take back my words, that's my nindo way!" Naruto extended his arm and gave Barlock his best 'nice-guy' pose that he could muster which he'd learnt from Lee.

Barlock smiled, '_Maybe there's more to this kid then meets the eye. Anyone who receives training from the Great Jiraiya must be a worthy apprentice._' Barlock thought. "Ok kid if you insist. Meet us at Bay E7 at 10:30 in 3 days, bring only the necessary equipment and supplies and don't be late. We set sail at 11:00 sharp and if you're not both on board before then, we will leave without you." He made clear.

"Thanks Barlock, see you then" Naruto waved as he made his way to find Jiraiya.

As the Leaf Genin walked around the village to find his sensei, he heard the sound of a large group of people making loud noises in the distance. Deciding he didn't have anything better to do at the time, Naruto headed for the crowd to find what all the fuss was about. Nearing the edge of the gathering a booming voice hit his ears, "YES MY WONDERFUL FANS IT IS I, THE LEGENDARY JIRAIYA, CREATOR OF THE WORLD RENOWNED ICHA ICHA PARADISE SERIES! PLEASE FOLLOW ME FOR SIGNED COPIES, AND THE NEW, LIMITED EDITION VOLUME THAT HAS NOT YET HIT STORES!" The crowd gasped with excitement. Naruto on the other face vaulted.

'_Kuso! Why did i tell them he was here, this is going to be so troublesome! Listen to me i sound like that grumpy bastard Shikamaru! Then again, he may make quite a bit of money out of this little venture so he won't have to use any of mine._' Naruto sighed, ' _I guess i'll go and train. He can find me later when he's done here_.' And with that Naruto jumped from roof to rooft to find a suitable place to train.

* * *

"Why didn't i notice that before now? God i'm dumb! Maybe that Uchiha bastard did have a slight reason to call me a dobe from time to time." Naruto reasoned. He had been practicing his Kage Bushin jutsu outside the Village in a secluded area. "So each time i summon a clone, i will retain the memories of everything it does when it disappears as the chakra i used comes back to me." He scratched his head. '_There must be a way i can use that to my advantage. Since i have alot of stamina, that means i can summon a lot more clones than even a Jounin could._' He looked at the ground, then up to the sky and back down again. 

Nothing.

He created another Kage Bushin for inspiration.

Nothing.

After 10 minutes of hard thinking, he was about to give it up as a lost cause when it hit him. "That's it! That means i'll be able to master ninjutsus, genjutus and tiajutus because i'll have gained more experience from my clones!" He exclaimed victoriously. "So if i create a thousand clones and practice the same jutsu, i could master it in... uh lets see.. ah..." he held all of his fingers up before him, "... um... and... ah, oh... carry the 1... uh... oh whatever, it'll take a lot less time to master than if i trained on my own. Now all i need is ero-sennin to teach me something new for once!" He rolled his eyes sensing a lot of begging and sucking up ahead of him.

Just then he heard the sound of shoes scuffling the ground behind him, "Ah so there you are, i've been looking all over for you." Naruto new the voice all too well, "So you've been training i see, learnt anything new?" Jiraiya asked as the Genin turned round to face his sensei.

"Nah, i've just been trying to improve on what i already know, perfecting my jutsus." Naruto replied. "Did you have a nice pervert meeting with all your perverted friends?" Naruto snickered. Jiraiya's left eyebrow twitched uncontrollably at his student's statement as he bashed his pupil over the head. "Ow, kuso ero-sennin what was that for!"

"I'll have you know that my books are a work of art and a best selling series throughout the land!" He opened up a bag for Naruto to see. Inside, money filled every inch of space available. "See just to prove my point. Think of it this way, at least i don't need to borrow any of your money now." Jiraiya smiled, scratching the back of his head.

"Borrow? When did i get that money back again? And don't you mean you won't need to 'borrow' my money as early as last time?" The blonde ninja added sarcastically.

Knowing it was best not to continue with this path of topic, the Toad Hermit decided to change the subject. "Oh yeah that reminds me, unfortunately it seems that we won't be going to the West Continent after all. Apparently, there is some 'Sea Monster' that has been destroying ships on the way to the Pangeran Port." He sighed, "I'm sorry Naruto, i said i would help them defeat the beast but they were too afraid to go anywhere near it. Looks like we'll have to start our training here, in the Wind Country." He waited for the inevitable whining and complaining of how the young Leaf shinobi could beat it with ease... but it never came.

Jiraiya looked down to face his student. His pupil had the widest grin on his face that he'd ever seen. Before he could ask Naruto spoke, "Hehe ero-sennin, I got us a ticket to the West Country. All we have to do is defeat the Sea Monster and we get a free trip."

He gave Naruto a puzzled look. "How did you manage that? All the people i spoke to were too afraid to even go out into the Great Sea, let alone go anywhere near the monster!"

"Well, i happened to run into a man who was going out to fight the monster and i made a deal with him that if we help kill the beast, then we will get a free ride to the West Continent."

Jiraiya could only smile at how Naruto, and only Naruto could pull off such a feat. It seemed like every time he met someone new, they'd instantly warm up to him and trust him completely.

"So when do we depart?" The hermit asked.

"Bay E7 on the docks at 10:30 in 3 days. The man's name is Barlock and he's the captain, so it should be easy enough to find if we get lost." Naruto replied.

"Ok then, i guess i'll go and get us a hotel to stay in for the time being. I'll come back for you later" Jiraiya said as he semi-waved and wandered off, giggling to himself abount new ideas for his next volume of his Icha Icha Paradise.

The Genin turned back around to continue his training. '_Hmm i think i'll put my theory to practice._'

"Taju Kage Bushin no Jutsu!"

An endless echo of 'Poofing' sounds could be heard throughout the town, "Now i think it's about time i perfected the Rasengan, don't you?" All his clones nodded simultaneously. "Well then, let's begin..."

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**End Chapter Notes**

If anyone feels that i should have included extra/less of anything please let me know, plus the usual stuff like spelling. Especially names of things.

I'd also be happy to have a beta seeing as i'm new to this and could improve the quality.

Anyway, hope that all who read enjoyed and let me know your thoughts. The next chapter should be up in the next few days.

See you then.


	3. Those of Worth

Disclaimer: I don't own either Naruto or Dragonball Z. 

Notes: Phew! Took me longer than expected so hope you enjoy.

* * *

Dialogue: 

"…" - normal speech.

'In italics' - thoughts

**-: Flashback :-**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 2 - Those of Worth  
**

Seagulls could be heard throughout the fishing town as they squawked over food. Since he had forgotten to bring his alarm clock with him, Naruto had used this as wake-up call the past few mornings. His right eye slowly opened as he brought in the light of the new day, with his left gradually following. The Genin sat-up, yawned, stretched and wiped the sleep from his eyes. Taking off his treasured night hat, he scratched the back of his head. '_Uh, what day is it?... Oh that's right, today is the day we set sail to kill the Sea Monster!_' He sprung up and out of bed with unknown energy to most. '_Ah, what time is it? We have to be there at 11:00, preferably 10:30_.' He questioned whilst looking around desperately for a clock. Realizing there hadn't been one in his bedroom since they had been staying there, he ventured out and into the apartment's living area. Finding the main clock of the apartment, Naruto squinted and read the time, "10:15... OH NO WE ONLY HAVE 45 MINUTES MAX TO BE THERE, SHIT!"

Running into ero-sennin's bedroom he found his sensei sleeping the most unusual position and making giggling noises. Naruto shivered at even contemplating what was going on in that dirty brain of his. "HEY ERO-SENNIN WAKE UP! WE'VE ONLY GOT AN 45 MINUTES AT MOST TO GET DOWN TO THE DOCKS!" He screamed.

"Ugh, huh... wha... What!" Jiraiya exclaimed jumping out of bed, wiping the saliva from his mouth. "Why didn't you wake me up sooner brat!"

"I've only just got up myself; my new alarm clock is even more unreliable than my old one." He answered. Jiraiya gave him a confused look. "No time for explanations now, we got to pack up and head down there as soon as possible." he spoke whilst they walked back to the living room.

"We'll have to find it too, that may take a while." The Toad Hermit added as he made breakfast.

Naruto smiled, "That's why i did some 'research gathering' myself yesterday and went down to the docks to find out just in case. A ninja must always be prepared, right sensei?" The blonde boy said as he began to eat his first meal of the day.

"Right Naruto, good job on that. When you're done with your breakfast meet me at the entrance of the hotel, i'll have to check us out before we leave." Jiraiya said as he got up and headed to the bathroom.

Once the young Leaf Shinobi had finished breakfast, he made his way to his bedroom, got dressed and packed his equipment over his back. He looked out the huge window which filled the room with light. The hotel was backed a short distance away from the sea as Naruto watched the waves splash against the ships in the docks and the small promenade. Opening the window, the Genin peered down to see the road below, which was a fair distance down.

'_Hmm i think this is a good time to practice my chakra control_' he thought as he lifted himself onto the ledge and shut the window behind him. '_Concentrate to the hands..._' His right hand touched the wall below the window, followed by his left. '_...and release in continuous amounts..._' Feeling that he a successfully attached himself to the wall he shot his legs up in the air, '_...then to the fingers..._' To a person below it looked as if someone was climbing down the building the wrong way, without the use of feet and places to grab onto! '_... and slowly move down._'

He had long ago mastered walking on solid objects and even water by controlling the amount of chakra used through his feet. By using this method, he could bring more chakra to his hands and fingers when performing jutsus so they would be more powerful in combat and even for adding power to his punches, another skill he had learned whilst practicing his Kage Bushin using the newly found knowledge that he had uncovered about the jutsu.

Naruto took his time since he knew that the longer it took him, the more concentration and effort would be needed to stay stuck to the wall. This provided an excellent training exercise since it increased the users focus and built up strength and stamina, though he wasn't lacking much in that department, aswell as chakra control. There was that and the fact that ero-sennin probably wouldn't be down for another 15 minutes. Naruto rolled his eyes.

Finally reaching the bottom he pushed away from the wall and flipped over landing with precision on the ground below. A small boy had been watching him make his way down for the past 15 minutes and was in awe of the sight. He walked up to the Genin and pulled his jacket. Naruto responded by crouching down to the boy's level and giving him his foxy grin. "Hey kid what's up?"

"Wow, how did you do that? Are you a ninja?" The boy said, still star struck from what he'd witnessed just moments ago.

"Hehe yeah, that was an exercise i do to help me improve my ninja skills." He answered as his teeth sparkled in the sunlight.

The young boy bounced up and down, "When i get older i want to be a strong ninja just like you!"

Naruto's smile widened even more, "Well remember to fight for those precious to you and you'll be stronger than me one day!" He stood up and gave the boy a swift 'nice-guy' pose.

"Yes sir, thank you sir!" and with that he ran off still bouncing up and down with each step.

Naruto sighed '_Why is it that all the younger generation i meet don't hate me?_' He questioned, '_Yeah, i guess if they knew what i was they'd probably be scared of me and hate me too._' Sadness struck his face. He turned to the entrance of the hotel to find Jiraiya coming out.

He pushed the loneliness and sorrow he felt to the back on his mind and donned a fake smile. "Hey, ero-sennin! We need to go now if we're gonna get that free ride!" He shouted. With that, his sensei turned around, walked over to him and gave him another smack to the head. "Ah stop doing that ero-sennin!" The Leaf Genin whined as he rubbed his head.

"Brat, STOP calling me that everywhere we go, I am the Legendary Jiraiya and while we travel you will show some respect to me! Even if i have to beat it out of you!" Jiraiya snapped.

Naruto frowned, looked at the seriousness across his sensei's face, and gave in for the time being. "Hmph, yes _Jiraiya-Sensei_." He said sarcastically.

"Good, now we better head off to Bay E7. Since you know where it is, lead the way." The Hermit said as he motioned Naruto to start walking.

'_Baka ero-sennin, if he wants me to respect him then he should do the same to me by helping me improve my skills and not scolding me all the time_' Naruto mused as they headed off in the directed of the docks.

By the time the arrived at the correct bay, the last of the supplies were being lifted aboard. The pair found their way to the ramp that gave access to the ship located at the back end. On reaching the ramp they found Barlock standing with his arms folded, waiting for them to show.

" Aar, so you made it after all. I was beginning to wonder if you were going to show up." He spoke with a grin on his face.

"Hey i told you Barlock, i don't go back on my word and..." before he finished his sentence he was cut off by Jiraiya.

"Ah yes sorry about that, we had a little trouble this morning, but we made it on time to help you." Jiraiya explained to the Captain.

The man couldn't hold back his admiration any longer. "Oh yes the Great Jiraiya-sama, welcome! Please come aboard, the crew are dying to meet the man who spawned such wonderful work!" he replied with beaming delight. The two walked onto the ship, shoulder to shoulder in high spirits as if they'd known each other for years.

'_Gah! This is going to be a long trip_'. The young Leaf Shinobi followed his sensei and the Captain onto the boat. '_And the ship is too small for me to do any real training!_' Naruto looked to the sky and groaned. '_Yep, this is going to be a very long trip!_'

* * *

They had been travelling for 2 days straight across the never ending ' Great Sea'. Naruto had decided that he didn't like this form of transport since the first hour of the journey. When he wasn't feeling i'll, he was throwing up over the side of the of the ship. He couldn't eat much since it would only be a matter of time until he saw it again. Even worse was the way the crew laughed at his misfortune, but it was nothing new to him as he blurred it out. If only he'd known that sailing affected him this way, he wouldn't have bothered to make that deal with Barlock. Naruto sighed at his bad luck; it never seemed to go right for the blonde. 

Currently he was on deck in an attempt to let the warmth of the sun heal a little of the pain he felt. It was a beautiful day, with just the right conditions. He wished he was on solid ground to enjoy it, but such was not to be. Walking around the ship nulled the headaches somewhat and he was able to concentrate. '_I hate this; if we manage to kill the monster and make it to the Pangeran Port i won't eat Ramen for a month._' He thought, '_Maybe if there was some training i could do to take my mind off the pain_'

Just then Jiraiya came out of the cabin and walked up to him, "Ah Naruto, i've been looking for you. How are you doing, are you still feeling i'll?" He asked in a worried voice.

"Wow ero-sennin, are you actually concerned for my well being! That's a first isn't it?" Naruto retorted, trying to show it didn't bother him.

Jiraiya couldn't see the seriousness of his answer since Naruto had become a master at hiding his emotions infront of others if need be, and instead took it as a joke and a sign that he was over his condition. "Very funny brat, anyway, i just came to inform you that we will be nearing the location of the sea monster pretty soon so you can prepare yourself. Since you're obviously over your little sickness you won't need me to help you get ready. I'll be back for you when we reach the right co-ordinates." And with that he turned and retreated back into the cabin from where he came.

Naruto tilted his head to the floor below, his outward expression showed nothing but apathy. Inwardly he was crying. Not only had Konoha tossed him aside and ignored him like some piece of trash, but so did his new sensei. It wasn't his fault the way he'd reacted to Jiriaya's kindness, it was just a defence mechanism that he' put in place long ago to protect himself. The spiky haired blonde blinked as a single tear escaped his eye. Was it worth it? Was all the training with his baka of a sensei going to make the people re-evaluate their opinion of him when he got back? He was a 100 percent certain that nothing would change, even if he somehow became Hokage. Naruto contemplated the idea of destroying all that hurt him, but he pushed that thought away. If he did that then he would be no better than them, even if revenge could give him the satisfaction he deserved. By this time the sky had turned a dark colour and it began to rain, fitting his mood.

'_Come on Naruto, you're stronger than that, don't let it get to you._' he tried to comfort himself. He created a chakra reinforced Kage Busin so that it could take a large amount of hits and started to practice his tiajutsu with his clone to help get his mind off what had just transpired. Upon engaging combat, Naruto noticed that both he and his clone had become much faster, more precise with their attacks and also their strength had increased. '_Wow! The training i've been doing at the town has helped me increase all aspects of my tiajutsu this much! I've only been training moderately the past 2 days and now i feel twice as capable in combat as i was before!_' Naruto and his clone stopped, looked back at each other and nodded. Jumping back a few feet they both extended their right arms. A few seconds later, blue swirls began to form and intertwine together growing in speed. All of a sudden, the whirls of blue came together and formed a sky-blue orb. Both version of Naruto smiled, he had finally mastered the technique. A few of the crew who were on deck at the time gaped at the sight. This boy had immense power at his age!

They where about to launch at each other when something knocked against the ship, nearly causing the Genin to fall down with the fully formed Rasengan in hand. His clone had managed to hold onto a beam near the edge to steady itself. Quickly, they dissipated both orbs. Naruto dismissed the clone and went to find what was responsible for the interruption. At that moment, Jiraiya, Barlock and the rest of the crew burst out from different areas of the ships and immediately covered the main deck.

"This is it men, today we kill the beast of the sea and take revenge for what it did to our friends and family!" The Barlock bellowed. Cheers and roars erupted across the ship; however the young shinobi could be seen with his head to the floor. He'd heard that speech somewhere before. "Everyone to your positions, and wait for the signal!" The Captain finished as the crew frantically scrambled around the ship with various weapons in hand. By this time Jiraiya had once again found Naruto and jogged to him.

"Hey Naruto, i'll take care of this thing, it may be too big for you to handle. Go help the men defend themselves if they come under..." before he got a chance to finish the boat was hit from it's starboard side, knocking most of the crew over. Naruto picked himself up, normally he would argue with Jiraiya or anyone else who doubted his abilities, but right now it wasn't worth it as others where in trouble.

Creating the seal need for his favourite jutsu, "Kage Bushin no Jutsu" he whispered summoning 10 clones to assist the men. '_I'll show ero-sennin that i can kill the monster and prove to him i can back up my words_' he thought.

Another wave crashed against the already damaged frame of the ship. If this didn't end soon the boat would be crushed by sheer force. Just then, a loud screech sounded off the Port side of the ship. The pitch was so intense that most of the crew had to cover their ears. Naruto looked out into what had now become a violent storm and treacherous downpour. He could barely keep his eyes open with all the water running down his face, his favourite jacket already soaked through. Brushing his hair back from his face he noticed movement in the sea below. It zigzagged underneath the boat to the other side where his sensei was standing.

"Ero-sennin, its over on your side underneath!" He yelled.

Jiraiya, who could barely hear his student over the noise turned and stuck his thumb up to Naruto to acknowledge what he said. With that another rumbling was heard just off where Jiraiya and Barlock now stood along with a few crewmen. What appeared to be the monsters head began to rise out of the water, it snarled and ascended quickly to reach its maximum height for full intimidation. Naruto was a little shocked at what he witnessed, never had he seen a creature so big in size. It had scales like a snake and a long neck that appeared to also be its body. The colour was that of the sea and would be extremely hard to recognise unless it showed itself as it did now. The face of the creature was purely menacing; it had a black eyes either side of it's head that sparkled like gems. After a few more unusual noises, the monster opened its jaw and a huge slithery tongue came out showing a few frontal teeth.

'_Damn what a huge snake! And i hate snakes!_' Naruto gazed, '_I bet this thing would get on with Orochimaru like a house on fire!_'

Some of the crew began screaming at the sight and cursing to Kami. Never had they imagined the beast to be this big and one ship full of people would just be sending them to their watery grave.

"It's a huge demon!" One guy shouted as he ran around the ship, looking for an exit with a few others following suit.

"What did you think it was gonna be baka, a little fish that could be killed with ease! When you said a Sea Monster i was expecting something bigger and more powerful!" Naruto roared with excitement at the challenge that awaited, his fear now completely faded.

"Come on men we can take it if we work together!" Barlock cried out as he through a long sharp ended metal staff at the beast. As it impacted against the creature's upper body it deflected off and into the see leaving a barely visible dent in its shell.

Seeing this made even the Captain worry a little but he didn't show it. He was about to throw another when the blue serpent began a frontal assault on the ship. It attacked with such furiousness that the boat swung round and faced the other way and parts of the ship had broke off. A scream could be heard from its jaw as a member of the crew was seen to be chewed and swallowed whole by the monster.

Jiraiya who had been thrown aside got back to his feet and raced to the edge of the ship the creature was at. "That's it; i'm taking you down Demon!" Forming a few hand seals he shouted out;

"Suiton Suiryuundan no Jutsu!"

The sea serpent looked underneath its head where a swirling of water had gathered. Suddenly a huge sized water dragon appeared from the water and lashed out at it, breaking more of its protected armour that shielded it. Screaming back in pain, the monster subsided to regroup.

Naruto ran over to the Toad Hermit, "Hey ero-sennin, nice job! Is it dead?" Naruto asked.

"No, this battle is far from over Naruto, i'm sure it will come back, be prepared." answered the Legendary Sannin.

The Leaf Genin ran to all the men that had been too afraid to fight and shook his head, "For people claiming they can beat the Sea Monster so easily, you guys sure aren't doing much to help." The men looked up at him with fear in their eyes, fear that he saw in all the adults he walked past down the streets of Konoha. But this fear wasn't directed at him for once, he would take that advantage now. "Come on, if we all work together now we can defeat the monster!" He lectured.

By this time the Serpent had made it's second entrance and stood just off the port side with it's head hung over, its mouth becoming larger. "Look..." He turned and pointed to it, "... it's becoming weaker with each attack! If we act now we can stop it!" He yelled, and ran back to aid Jiraiya who was preparing to counter the monsters next attack.

With an explosive force, the best released a giant water-ball from its mouth headed straight for the ship. Jiraiya acted instantly

"Katon Goukakyu no Jutsu!" Jiraiya screamed, churning out a huge amount of fire from his own mouth that turned into a massive fireball. Naruto watched this with awe and anger, since he'd always associate that jutsu with Uchiha-teme. Both balls hit midway causing an enormous wave to be made which headed for the ship. The hermit thought fast, "Donton Doryuuheki!" spitting out a gooey substance into the sea below.

Just before the wave impacted the ship, a great wall of solid earth came out of the sea in front of them, effectively shielding the ship from the boat as the water crashed into it and around them. Jiraiya had had enough of being on the defensive and wanted to take it to the monster. He jumped from the boat and ran up to the top of the wall he had created. The beast was still there as it slowly began to submerge.

'_Him, it looks tired, it may not be used to using that attack._' Jiraiya concluded. '_Now's my chance before it descends again. I don't have a great deal of chakra left from using those jutsus. I'll have to put most of my reserves into this and hops it does the trick._' He did a few quick seals and inhaled.

"Katon Karyuu Endan!"

A missile of fire headed straight towards the creature that was unaware of the imminent danger. At the last second the serpent looked up and gazed at the flame coming towards him with fear, an emotion it had probably never felt before, in its eyes. The stretch of fire engulfed the monster as it howled in pain. A smell of burning flesh floated through the air. As the flames slowly died down, the Sea Demon fell back, crashing down. It slowly sank showing no kinds of movement.

Naruto had followed up his sensei to the top of the Earth Wall and saw everything. "Wow! That was amazing ero-sennin you did it! Though i wished i could have helped." He said sadly.

Jiraiya, who had finally caught his breath, breathed a sigh of relief. '_Phew, if that didn't work, i'm not sure what else would_.' he wondered. He turned to his pupil and gave a triumphant smile, "Aren't you glad you've got me as your new sensei for the next 3 years brat!"

Naruto smiled aswell, he had to admit it, ero-sennin was a great ninja when he wanted to be. They ran down off the wall and had to swim against a strong current back to the boat, which had drifted off because of the continuous waves. As they climbed aboard, the crewmen held up their weapons and cheered for their new heroes who had saved them. Though he didn't do anything, Naruto, who wasn't one to let attention like this go to waste, ran round the ship giving his foxy smile and holding up a peace sign.

When he got back to the Toad Hermit he felt a tap on his shoulder, as he spun around Barlock stood with a smile on his face. "Well lad, it looks like you've kept your end of the bargain, now i'll have to keep mine."

"Thanks Barlock, i promised the sea monster would be defeated and now it has."

"Yes, thanks to you and the Great Jiraiya-sama we can now re-open trade routes with the Pengaran Port which we so desperately need. Sadly, there is no sign of my son, or any others, but if that thing came after them they didn't really stand a chance." He said depressingly.

"I'm sorry Barlock." Naruto said gloomy. Then smiled, "The best thing you can do now is look to the future and make it a good one!"

Barlock snapped out of his depression, "You're right, it's not good being stuck in the past which cannot be undone." he turned round and put up his right arm. "TO THE FUTURE!" he shouted. His men, chorused back to him.

Jiraiya, who had been watching the scene folded his arms and smiled, '_That's the effect you have on people Naruto. I know, one day, you will truly become the Hokage of The Hidden Leaf Village and you will gain their respe_...' he didn't have a chance to finish his thoughts when a sudden booming noise sounded behind him. He looked around to find the cause of the noise and stood frozen with his eyes widened. The sea monster had returned! It's skin was scared all over from the fire jutsu that he had just used on it and it's face was contorted in pain. With another deafening sound it assaulted the ship once more.

The happiness that the ship had just been carrying now emanated with horror and fear again! Naruto looked round to the find his sensei tired from chakra depletion and too stunned to do anything about it. '_This is my chance, now i'll show them that Uzumaki Naruto is a strong ninja. I'll save all these people_!' With that last thought he created two clones beside him. They grabbed onto his arms and flung him high into the air in an attempt to intercept the creature and dispersed. Seeing the small snack, the scared serpent turned to greet him, mouth wide open.

"No Naruto!" Jiraiya screamed, but it was too late and he could not stop him.

Naruto stuck out his right arm and concentrated. A gathering of blue swirls could be seen before the monster swallowed him whole.

"Noooo Naruto!" He shouted even louder than the last. The sea demon turned to face the crew to resume attacking his intended target. Suddenly it stopped. Its head started shaking side to side and a loud screech was let out as a blue flash could be seen exiting it's mouth. It's eyes too began to turn a shade of blue from their cold black. In a blinding explosion, the beast was no more. It's head had been completely destroyed as its limp body fell down.

Jiraiya, who had witnessed the event along with all the crew, stood shocked at the way the young blonde had so easily sacrificed his own well being of his sensei and strangers. He ran over to the edge of the ship and looked out into the vast blue. The last remains of the scared body could be seen slowly going under to the bottom of the see. Jiraiya frantically looked around; he couldn't find Naruto's body anywhere. Jumping in, he swam to where the final act had just taken place in attempt to find his student. There was nothing. He dived down as far as he could go to locate Naruto but there was nothing in sight...

* * *

Naruto awoke with coughing water from his mouth. As he sat up, he felt a headache and pains all over his body. He looked around to try and gather his bearings as the sun shone down full force. He found he was lying on a beach in the middle of nowhere. The Genin stood and coughed some more water up. He clutched his head and stomach as he stumbled through the pain and up the beach. Even if he didn't want to admit it, the Kyuubi's special healing powers probably saved him from certain death. The clothes he wore were thoroughly drenched and he'd lost his equipment holder that had been attached to his belt part, along with leaving all his possessions on the ship. Notching a tree-line ahead, the ragged Genin staggered into the cover they provided from the beating sun. 

'_How did i get here?_' He wondered sitting down in the shade of a tree. '_The last thing i remember was using my Rasengan inside the sea monster which had come back for more... and then... it all went black_.' His eyes flickered as he tried to remember anything else. When nothing came to mind Naruto let out a deep groan. '_Why do these things always happen to me? I probably saved all the people of that ship and what do i get for it? Oh that's right, i get washed onto, what looks like a deserted island, in the middle of nowhere without water or food!'_

After resting for a short while the blonde made his way through more of the forest in the hopes of finding any sort of civilisation. He grunted as his stomach started making sounds of hunger. Wearily, he looked down and patted it in an attempt to quieten it for the time being. The noises kept increasing in volume. '_If i ever get back i'm going to eat so much Ramen that i'll burst since that deal i made is now void!_' Unfortunately for Naruto because he was so deep in thought, he stepped on a piece of earth that had no foundation and the ground beneath him crumbled away.

Falling fast, there was nothing he could do to slow his decent. A few seconds later he hit the floor with a loud '_THUMP_' sound. He didn't know how much more punishment his body could take, but he would be damned if he died now. Ever so gradually he got to his feet once more, and studied his new surroundings. The floor he landed on was hard, inspecting it closer he saw it shine back at him. "What's this? Some kind of metal?" he asked no one in particular. Lifting his head up he glanced around for anything that would tell him where he was.

Finally, he saw a light a fair distance away. Walking over to it, Naruto examined what was before him. It was 5 times his size and looked like a giant square of pure metal, it gave off a golden light that pulsed every few seconds. Two staffs pointed out from the top that spiralled up and connected together. He walked inside it, and out the other side. it couldn't have been more then a meter in length. He turned back and entered it again and looked all the way around. The young blonde noticed what seemed to be an operating device to his right. Naruto squinted as he tried to read the language.

'_What hell does this say? I've never seen a language like this before. Don't they know kanji?_' He grumbled to himself. As he touched it with his right hand, the blonde slowly went over the inscription. Below the writing he found what looked like a hand print carved into the metal, though it was much bigger than his in size. Sticking his right hand in it, Naruto felt a sensation like no other, like his life-force was being drained from his body. Frantically, the Genin tried to pull his hand away but it wouldn't budge.

Suddenly the 'giant square' seemed to become active. It made a low humming sound at first that increased in volume. The square pulsed in a blinding flash of light. The side Naruto was facing had become what looked like a swirl of blues mixed together. He felt the control let go of his hand. Weakly he walked up to the whirls of intertwined blue, it reminded him of his Rasengan jutsu. Naruto extended his right hand to touch it, before he knew it he was being sucked in by some invisible force and in an instant he disappeared. The machine powered down and went back into its standby state. All trace of what was Naruto had vanished.

* * *

**End Chapter Notes**

Please let me know your thoughts.

Just going to start on the next chapter now, not sure when it'll be done.

See you then!


	4. 3 Years Later

Disclaimer: I don't own either Naruto or Dragonball Z.

Notes: Thanks A3, glad you like the story - Over 1000 hits and only 3 reviews :cries: - oh well

* * *

Dialogue: 

"…" - normal speech.

'In italics' - thoughts

**-: Flashback :-**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 3 - 3 Years Later **

The square metal structure still stood firm, glowing slightly every few seconds since it had last been used 3 years ago. In the darkness, a faint light shone down from the roof of the confined room. At that moment the machine gave out a low whine that rapidly increased deeply in volume and abruptly flashed a blinding display of pure light. Shaking could be felt in the large sized room as bits began to fall through the gap above. When it subsided, blue swirls could be seen within the square that containing them. Suddenly, two figures where thrown out of it and into the now semi-illuminated room.

Landing face first, the body to the left winced in pain, while the other landed on his backside. Rubbing his face, the individual to the left got up and looked at his partner who was also in pain. "Chikusho Naruto! Why didn't you tell me the re-entry was worse, i could have at least prepared myself from slamming face first into the floor!" He said in anger, still soothing his red face.

The teen looked up at his friend and laughed, "Sorry Gohan, i guess it must have slipped my mind." he snickered. After stifling another outburst from looking at his companion again, the spiky blonde stood up and walked around. By this time the machine had once again deactivated. Now there was hardly any light in the room with the only two sources being the hole Naruto had made several years ago and the faint pulse of the metal square behind.

"If i hadn't experienced it myself i wouldn't have believed it! Though the transition itself is a little bumpy, it is an amazing piece of technology." The tall black haired fighter slid his hand down the machine which had now reverted back into stand-by mode. He looked at the inside and found the control panel. "So it's the exact same as the one on my world."

"Don't you mean _our _world?" Naruto imposed as he walked back over to the machine.

"Ah yeah, sorry, you know what i meant..." resuming his inspection, "... but for someone to make this, its... well it's incredible. The writing is also the same on this side too; 'Those who seek their worth are bound by the strength of their resolve'... it's in English, a writing that hasn't been used for a millennia! No one i know of could have built such a device, especially in that time!" He exclaimed. "Bulma's the worlds leading brain box on these kinds of things and even she can't create a stable dimensional wormhole like this!" He turned back to Naruto who gave him a raised eyebrow.

"...Yet." he finished Gohan's assessment.

"Haha, i guess your right, i wouldn't put it past her. I mean she did create a pod that could travel time, fortunately for us it travelled dimensions too as you well know." The tall teen sighed.

Naruto put his hand on his friends shoulder, "Hey, come on Gohan that was a long time ago. Don't blame yourself, i know you'll see him again." he comforted his depressed comrade.

"Yeah, you're right and you'll meet him too." Gohan smiled as he turned around. "So what's our next stop? Don't you want to see your village again?"

Naruto frowned at his friend, "I told you, it's not _my_ village anymore and hasn't been for a long time. They treated me worse then trash my whole life for having a burden put on me from the moment I was born and had no control over. All i want to do is see a few people one more time before i leave this place behind forever."

"You're right, i'm sorry." Now it was his turn to do the comforting, "So, where do we go from here?" He looked up to the hole in the roof. "I'm guessing that's how you found this place?" He inquired.

Naruto chuckled, "Yeah well i couldn't get out at the time and being my curious self i had to take a look around. Anyway, let's get out of here, i can barely see anything." With that they walked to the space beneath the gap and without hesitation, launched themselves in the air and through the hole one after the other. Gohan followed Naruto as he landed on the beach of the island where he was washed up those few years ago.

They looked out to the incoming tide that crept up the shore. The sun was out and shining brightly as their eyes adjusted to the light. Naruto had grown a lot in the time he had been away. He was around 4ft6 when he left and now, 3 years later he had shot up to 6ft-ish. However, the rapid growth hadn't affected his body which had also filled out giving him a muscular frame. His hair had also grown out as it brushed past the top of his eyes and extended down the side of his face, but also kept the spiky features on top. He wore a long deep blue jacket that was short at the middle and had the Capsule-Corp logo on the shoulder, courtesy of Bulma which he treasured, with a white muscle top underneath. He had a black set of baggy pants and white trainers. His eyes were an endless blue and just as radiant since his departure. Naruto's face had matured aswell as his mind. The most noticeable aspect was his famed whiskers that everyone associated with him, could no longer be seen.

Landing beside him, Gohan took note of the way his friend surveyed the landscape. He was about a 2ft taller than Naruto, his hair was cut short and spiky and coloured jet black that matched his eyes. Wearing a dark gray jacket that fit him to perfection and had various pockets dotted around, he also sported a red shirt underneath with the words 'FIGHT' written across in white. He wore dark jeans that tinted white down the sides and he displayed the same trainers as Naruto.

"Hey Naruto, what's up? Gohan asked.

"Oh, it's just... this is place where i washed up after killing the sea monster." He laughed, "At that time i thought i would die here on this island alone, but now i know it was a blessing in disguise. I wonder if they think i'm dead. They'd probably have declared me a 'Missing-Nin' for the first 2 years, and then dead the next. I can't wait to see the looks on their faces, it'll be priceless." He snickered

Gohan had been around him long enough to know what he was thinking before he thought it. Essentially they were brothers in spirit. "Naruto... what are you planning? I don't think they'd appreciate such a scare, especially since you say they all hate you and would probably want you dead if they saw you again."

"Aww.. well i guess your right. Hopefully i can avoid most of them and just talk to the few i've missed." He added. Pausing for a moment, Naruto scratched his head and then looked at his brother. "Umm, now that i think about... since i got washed up here unconsciously, i don't know which direction Konoha is in." He said sheepishly.

Gohan rolled his eyes, that was Naruto for you. "Okay, well i guess i'll just have to sense for any Ki signatures since i have the best control and experience." He said and closed his eyes. The Z warrior searched for signatures of any kind... but there was none. He tried again, still nothing, no trace of anyone. Gohan came to two conclusions. One; they could mask their signatures very well and therefore be undetectable. Two; there was no one on the planet that had a Ki signature of any kind, or at least by his and Naruto's standards. He decided to go with the latter from what Naruto had told him about the people from his home world.

"Hmm, that's strange… I can't sense anyone at all. It might be that their signatures are too weak for me to pinpoint this far away." Gohan suggested.

"Yeah you're probably right; remember when we first began to train. That was a nightmare for me." He grimaced, "Well looks like we'll have to do this the old fashioned way then."

They nodded to each other. Letting a low Ki flame engulf them, the pair sprung from the ground and into the air cruising above the clouds, cutting through the sky at an alarming rate.

* * *

The two fighters had been flying at a very slow pace considering their maximum, for the last 15 minutes. The ocean just kept on going endlessly. Finally they saw land ahead and descended, landing just off shore on a small hilltop. Gohan noticed a small town a few miles away and pointed it out to Naruto. Deciding it would be in their best interest to find out where they where and then plan their next action from there, they bounded over the land that lay between at a moderate pace. A few seconds later the duo came to nearing the entrance of the town and slowed their pace to a walk. 

As they entered the town, people looked up them with wide eyes. It wasn't fear, just curiosity. Naruto looked around the people and back to his brother. "Heh, must be the clothing, i new it wasn't such a good idea. This may cause some unwanted attention." he whispered.

"Hmm, you're right oh well, right now attention is what we need to find where we are." Gohan said

The two fighters walked over to a small shop and went inside. The Z warrior ventured round the shop while he left his friend to the talking. Naruto strolled over the shopkeeper who had been stunned by the two the moment they came in the shop. "Hello sir, excuse me, but would you mind telling me where we are… we seem to be a little lost." The blonde asked. The tenant, who had been in somewhat of a trance like state, snapped out of his gaze when the teen spoke.

"Uh.. yeah, sure. You're in a town called Riluji on the south-east coast of the Water Country." The shopkeeper answered.

"Ah, the Hidden Mist is the shinobi village of this country right?"

"Yeah..." was all the short man could muster.

Naruto raised an eyebrow, "Ok, do you know which way it is to the Fire Country?" he inquired

"Yeah it's to the west from here.." he responded, pointing the direction out to them.

"Ah right, thanks alot for your help mister. Hey Gohan, come on i got the right way to the Fire Country now." He called and started moving for the door.

The man ran frantically around his desk towards the blonde teen. "Wait, you two don't look like you're from around here. What business do you have in the Fire Country?" the stumpy man said, now asking the questions.

Naruto turned around and looked at the shopkeeper with a serious look in his eyes, "We're just going to visit the Hidden Leaf Village to meet some old friends." he replied casually.

"Well i don't know if you're aware of this but the Leaf and their allies, the Sand are currently on the edge of War between the Sound and Cloud Villages. It could happen anytime now and you'd be caught right in the middle of it if you went. It would be suicide." the man spoke with distress in his voice.

The blonde fighter smiled, "Thanks for your concern mister, but we'll be fine. Oh and thanks for informing me of the situation. Its nice to know some people are still kind to strangers." and with that he headed out of the shop followed closely by Gohan.

Once they where outside, they started walking again and conversed, "So it seems that your former village is about to go to war with others, at least they've got an ally to back them up." Gohan started.

"Yeah, even though i hate the, for what they did to me, i don't want to see them suffer like that and besides i like the sand so i don't want anything to happen to them..." He trailed off, '_I wonder how Gaara and his siblings are doing_...' Naruto thought. That last time he saw them was on the Sasuke retrieval mission. As Naruto had grown the past few years he'd matured a great deal mentally as well as physically while training with Gohan. Now he didn't resent the Uchiha for the path he took, instead he pitied him for being corrupted so easily by the pursuit of power.

The Z warrior looked to his brother who was deep in thought, never had he thought he would be doing anything like this. Since Naruto had showed up 3 years ago, his life got better every day finally finding someone who could understand him and was his own age. They'd been through good times and bad, always side by side to help each other. The Son family had accepted Naruto as one of their own with ease and he cared for them just as they did him. Goten, who had been born 7 years got on with Naruto so well. The two were the same level in strength right now and always sparred when they weren't busy. Gohan smiled at how quickly Naruto developed over the few years, somehow, someway, he reminded him of his father.

Seeing that his thoughts had ended, Gohan spoke as they exited the town, "So what's the direction? It would be best to get there before nightfall and check ourselves in to a hotel or something."

"Hm, oh yeah.. good idea, it's to the west. Come on, this way" the blonde replied as he bounded off across the plane at a leisurely pace. Gohan matched his speed and pursued him just behind.

* * *

They'd been going for a short while when they heard screams coming from a near by ravine. They changed course to check it out and hid in a large tree above the commotion below to analyse the situation. There were 3 Ninjas and a little girl. Naruto recognised them as Grass Ninja from their forehead protector. The three had appeared to be carrying the small girl when she made a run for it. Now asleep, one of them threw her over his back and started walking away with his comrades trailing. Not going to sit by and while this transpired, the two warriors jumped down to stop the 3 Ninjas, Gohan behind and Naruto in front. 

Stunned by the sudden appearance, the Grass Shinobi frantically got into battle positions dropping the girl to the dirt. Naruto was disgusted by how this poor, young girl had been treated. She couldn't be more than 5 years old. He folded his arms, "I hope you realise that you are outclassed in every possible way, let the girl go and no harm will come to you." Naruto spoke in a ragged cold voice.

By now the tallest Nin had regained his composure and looked over the two newcomers. He grinned evilly, "Ha, you two aren't even Ninjas and you think you can take on 3 elite Grass Chunnin! What funny clothes you wear aswell, this should be fun." He pulled out a Kunai and launched at the blonde.

A moment before impact, Naruto tilted his head to the right evading the lunge in and instant and kneed the leader to the gut. Collapsing to the floor, the Chuunin lay there gripping his stomach and then fell unconscious. His comrades gasped at what they had just witnessed. A strangely clothed civilian just took down one of their Villages most elite Chuunin in the blink of an eye. What was worse was the fact that the teen didn't even use any chakra either, it was pure speed. They shook and backed-up until they hit something behind them. It was the other stranger.

Gohan towered over the two Grass shinobi. Smiling as they turned to gaze at him, he quickly hit them in the back of the head knocking them out. "So what do we do with these guys?" He asked Naruto.

"Hm, this girl they were kidnapping must have come from somewhere; I'll try and find out." He walked up to the unconscious girl that lay on the ground. Slowly he shook her and whispered "Wake-up" in her ear. Suddenly she woke up and screamed at the top of her lungs. Naruto and Gohan winced feeling their ears about to explode. "Hey, calm down... hey.. HEY!" he shouted.

The young girl stopped and stared at Naruto with tears in her eyes. "Please! Leave me alone!" she screamed closing her eyes.

"Hey, we're not going to hurt you, we beat up those bad men who were taking you away." Naruto said in a soothing voice. The girl looked up and noticed the bodies of her Assailants on the ground, non responsive. "See, we want to help you. Do you live anywhere near here?" The blonde fighter asked slowly.

The brown haired girl nodded, "Yeah i live in the Village of the Hidden Mist." she sniffled out.

"Ok we'll go take you back to your village" Naruto said as he got up and walked over to Gohan who had been looking through each of the Grass Shinobi's clothing to find any information on what they wanted with her. He had some papers in his right hand.

"Hey Gohan, did you find anything on these guys?"

"I got no information on why the abducted the girl..." he hesitated, "... but i got something else. Each of them was carrying one of these." He handed the sheets of paper to Naruto.

Naruto studied it carefully and then looked up to his brother, "They're Jounin assessment papers for an exam that's going to be held in Konoha in a few days." Naruto informed his companion. Suddenly a smile formed on his lips. Gohan never liked that mischievous look as something bad always came of it.

"What have you got planned this time Naruto?" he asked with unease.

"Why, a mission of course!" Naruto grinned with excitement. "The first part of which is to return this girl to her family in the Hidden Mist Village.." he said whilst folding the papers and putting them inside his inside jacket pocket "... which shouldn't be too far from here. Come one, if we go now, they may let us stay the night and provide us with some information about this 'upcoming war'." He sauntered over to the Leader and picked him up by his clothes in his left hand. He then walked over to the girl and extended his right hand to her. "Come on kid, we'll take you back and your village and they can punish these nasty men for their crimes." Liking the sound of that, the girl gripped his free hand. Naruto wrapped his arm round her waist and called back to Gohan. "Come on bro, we'll have to do this the fun way." And with that he shot off into the air. The taller teen sighed and grabbed the two remaining Grass Ninjas and chased after him.

Meanwhile, the girl frantically wrestled against Naruto's grip trying to break free whilst screaming with fear. "Hey! I told you i'm not going to hurt you, we're just taking this mode of transport since it's the fastest to get you back." The girl began to quieten down a little. "So, what's your name kid?" he asked

"Relia" she answered, meekly.

"Well then Relia, I'm Naruto and my friend is Gohan, its nice to meet you, though the circumstances could have been better." She giggled, "So do you know why these bad men were after you?"

"I heard one of them say that i have a special blood-limit that they wanted." She responded, still shy.

Naruto had heard of such cases before. Someone had told him that a cloud Nin had once tried to kidnap Hinata when she was young but was thankfully stopped. The way the girl acted even reminded him of the shyness of Hinata. He still couldn't put his finger on why she always acted that way around him that way. Waking up from his daydream, he noticed the borders of a village below. He turned to Relia who was also looking at the sight. "Is that your village Relia?"

"Yeah that's it!" she shouted

"Right then, we're going down!" He exclaimed as he descended into the village.

From the streets below people heard a distant voice in the sky. Passers by looked up and stopped whatever they were doing as two strangers set-down in the street in front of them, their eyes widened as they landed. '_These boys just flew in to the village!_' was all that the civilians could think as they panicked and screamed. A few seconds later 3 Jounin and 5 Chuunin appeared around the pair. The Mist Nin gave a confused look. The strangers wore bizarre garments and held what appeared to be shinobi in their hands. What was even more surprising to them was how one of them had Relia-sama under his arm. One of the Jounin stepped forward. "Release Relia-sama at once!" he ordered.

"Hey, hey, no need to get angry, we were just helping out." Naruto calmly stated as he let of Relia. She stood on her own feet and walked around Naruto.

The little girl spoke up with confidence in her voice, "I was kidnapped by these men." she began as Naruto and Gohan let go of the Grass Ninjas and they dropped to the dirt. "And then Naruto and Gohan came and rescued me and beat the bad men up! Then they flew me back to the Village!" She ended with a bounce of happiness.

The Mist Nin where shocked at what they just heard, '_Did she just say 'flew'!_' They all thought. After snapping out of his bewildered state, the Jounin spoke once more. "Ok you two we are going to have to take you to the Mizukage and you can explain it to him!"

"Okay, sure, lead the way." Naruto replied as he and Gohan walked side by side surrounded by Mist Shinobi to the Mizukage's office. Upon entering the Mizukage tower, the blonde teen was slightly reminded of his adventure days as Leaf Ninja. The finally entered the office to find the Mist Kage deep in paperwork, the guards took positions around them inside. The Mizukage looked up at the two newcomers to the village and raised an eyebrow, and then nearly fell off his chair from shock when he looked at the teen in the blue jacket.

'_It.. it can't be.. he l-looks just like the fourth Hokage. B-but he didn't have any offspring, i must be mistaken. Probably going crazy from being up here all day_' The Mizukage concluded and regained his composure. "So you are the two that rescued Relia, correct?" he enquired.

They nodded in unison as Naruto spoke up, "Yeah it looked like she was in trouble so we helped her out." he sheepishly replied.

"Well thank-you for the assistance, without you we would most likely never have seen her again." A small smile crept on his lips, "You two don't look like you're from around here, what type of clothes are you wearing?"

"Uh these, um well..." He looked at Gohan who just shrugged. Naruto rolled his eyes, "... ah.. we made them ourselves, heh, yeah that's right. It's a new design of clothing, its going to become the most wanted clothing across the land soon. Heh heh.." He laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head. Gohan slapped his forehead and shook it back and fourth. He wasn't even of this world and somehow he would have done a better job then that.

The Kage had a puzzled look over his face along with the guards, "Uh well ok then." Not believing a word of it. "We our in your debt as a village for returning Relia to us, so if need anything let me know now."

"Ah yeah, there are a couple of things we need… nothing huge. We would like a room for the night to rest in and secondly could you give us some information about this War between the Leaf, Sand, Sound and Cloud Villages if it's not too much." Naruto asked.

The Kage tilted his head, '_What could they hope to gain from that information, plus all that i know but one thing is public knowledge and they should know too._' Standing up he responded, "Your first request shall be granted, once we are done here these 4 will escort you to your apartment for the night. The second you should already know but just to indulge, i'll lay it out straight." he coughed to clear his throat, "The Leaf and Sound have been constantly spying on each other since 4 years ago when the Sound attacked the Leaf in surprise with the help of the Sand. The Hidden Leaf managed to counter back the two villages and succeeded in stopping the village from being destroyed. Once the Sand found that the Sound had tricked them and had killed their Kage, they declared war on the Sound and the Leaf and Sand have been allies ever since, even though nothing officially has been announced. Two years ago, the Cloud Village began to side with the Sound and they too formed an alliance, why, i don't know.

"The only bit of information that is not public knowledge however, is what i have gathered from my intelligence. It appears the Grass too will be joining forces with the Sound and Cloud soon. They may plan on attack either the Leaf or Sand shortly." he finished in a depressed tone.

Naruto nodded, "Well thank-you for the information Mizukage, we'll now leave you to get back to work" Naruto said as they headed for the door.

"Wait!" he called, "Relia said you two 'flew' her back to the village. How is this possible?" The Mizukage asked disbelievingly.

"As a Kage, you should know.. anything's possible if you put your mind to it." The blonde smiled as the pair walked out of the room

The Mizukage eyed the duo as they went out of sight. He could feel huge power emanating from both the teens, but felt no malice. It was strange. Deciding to leave it be for the now, he would ask them about it tomorrow before they headed off. Right now had paper work to finish. Sighing he got back to work.

A few minutes later, the two brothers had reached their apartment for the night and they were finally free of the guards. Gohan let out a sigh of relief, "Phew, i didn't think they'd buy that stupid response you gave them, luckily they were probably willing to let it slide since we rescued a Village Member." He said whilst taking a capsule out of his pocket. He clicked and threw it into space beside him. With a lot of smoke and a loud 'poofing' sound later, what appeared to be a wardrobe appeared in it's place.

Naruto did the same taking another out of his pocket and throwing it into different space. "Yeah i know, i hate thinking on the spot like that, and don't tell me you could have done any better Gohan!" As the smoke cleared a table full of food appeared out of thin air.

"I probably could have, but it was funny to see you squirm. Come on lets eat, i'm starving!" Gohan stifled another laugh as they both ravaged through food infront of them.

After a few minutes the two sat down with full stomachs. "Man that was good, mom cooks the best food." The Z warrior concluded. Naruto could only nod vigorously, Chi-Chi out did herself every time. Finally they were able to move again.

"I think it's best if we get some rest, we'll need it for tomorrow." Naruto told Gohan.

"Ok, so what's part 2 of this mission of your's?" He asked

Naruto grinned, "Well we've already completed that phase since we gathered all the information we could from the Mizukage."

"Right.. so what's the next step?"

"Getting into Konoha, and i've got the perfect idea to achieve it." He laughed as he walked into his bedroom and shut the door. Gohan sighed, somehow knew, tomorrow was going to be even longer than today.

* * *

**End Chapter Notes**

Read-Review Thankyou!

Its just rolling off the top of my head now, look out for the 4th Chapter soon!

See you then!


	5. Return of the Forgotten

Disclaimer: I don't own either Naruto or Dragonball Z.

Notes: Thanks to all who reviewed the last chapter!

* * *

Dialogue: 

"…" - normal speech.

'In italics' - thoughts

**-: Flashback :-**

* * *

**Chapter 4 - Return of the Forgottten**

Gohan had been pondering over what to wear for the last 15 minutes. The people of this world had kept giving the pair funny looks ever since they arrived and right now, he didn't want to draw any unnecessary attention to himself and Naruto. The heavy muscled teen finally decided on a deep green full length shirt, a black training shirt to put over the top and matching pants as he pulled them out of the wardrobe. Once dressed, he picked his favourite boots and slipped them on. They were a perfect fit and tight enough so that they wouldn't fall off in battle. He took a quick glance in the mirror and was satisfied with his appearance; it was simple and would look 'normal' to the villagers.

At that moment Naruto, who had been out gathering a few 'items', came in through the door carrying two light-cream coloured bags in each hand. Gohan turned to greet him, "Hey Naruto, so... what did you get?"

The spiky blonde was busy stuffing his face with what appeared to be a loaf of bread. "Hfm, iah ustl roth usth sumfth footh anth equifmenth foth tuth ripf." he managed whilst chewing on the bread.

Gohan raised an eyebrow but understood. Since they had become accustomed to talking with their faces full after eating so much all the time, the two, along with Goten, had learned how to interpret each other after so much practice. "So what food and supplies did you get then? I see you're already tucking in... and what time are we going to leave, isn't sooner the better?" he questioned.

Naruto finished off his loaf, "Yeah you're right, we better get going." He looked at Gohan's attire. "Ah, good thinking on the clothing. I guess it would raise a few questions... like before." as he remembered his encounter yesterday with the Mizukage. Quickly he dropped the bags by the door, venturing to his part of the wardrobe and looked for something suitable to dress in. Taking out a simple blue shirt, a set of black pants and the same boots that Gohan had put on, he headed to the bathroom. Roughly 5 minutes later he came back out sporting the outfit he had chosen. Throwing his previously worn clothes in the wardrobe he took out a pair of white wristbands and put them on.

After waiting patiently the Z warrior grumbled, "Are you finished now?" he asked, eyeing Naruto.

"Yeah, yeah i'm done, keep your pants on." Naruto responded slyly.

Rolling his eyes, Gohan hit a button on the side of the wardrobe and a large poof of smoke appeared in its place. Catching the capsule as it exited the smoke; Gohan slipped it in one of his pockets. "Right then, what's the plan?"

"Well first we have to quickly visit the Mizukage to tell him we're leaving. Then, we're headed to Konoha."

"Ok then, lets get going." as they each grabbed one of the cream bags that Naruto had brought back, putting them over their backs and headed out the door.

Some time later the two brothers had once again found themselves back in the Mizukage's office, without the guards on this occasion. After a few moments of silence, Naruto broke the tension. "So, err.. once again we thank you Mizukage-sama for letting us stay the night and providing that information on the upcoming war. We just came to tell you that we will now be departing." bowing slightly the duo turned to leave when the Hidden Mist Kage stood up from his chair and walked around his desk to them to stop them going any further, Naruto on the left, Gohan on the right.

"I'm sorry, but i need to ask you a few more questions and then i will let you leave the village." he told them.

Giving him a puzzled look, they acknowledged his request. "Alright.." the taller teen accepted and they moved back into the room. "So.. what do you want to know?" he queried.

Slightly relieved that they agreed the Mizukage relaxed a little, "Firstly i want to know how you can fly, such a feat is not possible for humans!" the Kage claimed.

The two looked at one another, trying to decide who would be best to answer. Gohan knew that he had more experience in this area and thought he should give the explaining a go. "Uh.. well you see..." He put his hand to his chin, "... think of it this way. You know how you use your, uh... chakra to walk on water and stick to solid objects by focusing it on a certain point?" The Kage nodded as Gohan did a few and hand movements to explain better, "Well basically you take control of your chakra letting it out of your body. Then, you put it underneath you and let it hold you up." He finished with a smile.

The Mizukage could hardly fathom the idea. Concentrating your chakra to a certain point in your body was one thing, but actually releasing it outside was an entirely new concept. "I see.. i've never looked at chakra manipulation that way before. Thank you for sharing this knowledge with me young man." Gohan nodded. "And the other thing i wanted to ask was directed to you." the Kage said, turning to Naruto.

"Me...? What do you want to know?" Naruto asked, confused as to what the Mizukage wanted.

"I would like to know who your parents are. You bare so much of a resemblance to a man i once knew, that it's uncanny." the man blinked again and did a double take of the blonde teen before him.

Naruto looked down with a sad face, "I'm sorry sir, but i never knew my parents. My father died before i was born and my mother too is dead, I was told she died giving birth to me." he ended in a heartbreaking tone.

The Kage's eyes widened, '_So it maybe true after all. But why hasn't he been told? The Fourth Hokage did have a lot of enemies and if they ever found out... maybe that's it.?_' questioning himself.

He was cut out of his daydream by the other person, "If that is all Mizukage-sama, then we really must be off."

"Yes, thank you for co-operating and again, thank you for rescuing little Relia." They nodded and slowly walked out of the room leaving the Mist-Kage deep in thought.

Arriving at the West Gate, the two took one last look at the village before walking out. After a few metres, Naruto looked to his companion and spoke. "Do you think it was the right call in giving the Mizukage that kind of information, if they do learn to utilize their ki, even if they just got as far as learning to fly, it would give them a huge advantage over other Villages." Naruto asked slightly worried.

Gohan wasn't fazed by this in the least, "Nah i don't think so. The people of this world wouldn't be able to achieve accessing their ki, or at least anytime soon, since they are based to heavily on using Chakra which is using energy inside the body were as Ki is bringing it out as you know. They would most likely have to dedicate their whole life to have any success in releasing their ki without the proper training. Remember how hard it was for you, and even then you had huge advantage since you held quite a large power within you and had released it a few times previously." He explained confidently. "The way jutsus are performed shows that they need to use hands signs in order to tap into a part of their chakra to bring it out, though i am interested in seeing some of these techniques."

Naruto's nervous expression drained away as a small smile dawned on his face, "Oh i remember the training like it was yesterday. I had a hard enough time releasing even a tiny amount of my ki, let alone controlling it." he laughed. "Anyway, i think its time we reached Konoha, we've had enough detours as it is and we need to be there today if my plan is to succeed."

"Ok then, lead the way." Gohan replied and with that the two exploded from the spot they had just been standing, racing high into the air in the direction of Konoha.

* * *

Soaring through the clear blue sky the pair noticed a small bordered city below, it was Konoha. Naruto could never forget that place even if he tried. They set down a few miles away so they wouldn't be seen. Gohan had a puzzled look on his face, "Hey i've been meaning to ask you Naruto, why do people refer to Konoha and that Mist place as 'Villages'? They're as large as small cities, though the buildings are still relatively tiny in size!" 

"Huh, well uh.." scratching the back of his head, ".. now that i think about it i really don't know. The shinobi villages have always been the Hidden Villages of whatever, i guess its just been like that since the first one was created. But compared to The West City it's still minute, the buildings in that place are super huge!" waving his hands over his head.

"I guess.. so what now are we going to go in and see your friends?"

Naruto grinned again, "No, i've got a much better idea. Give me your bag." he motioned and Gohan un-strapped it from his back and gave him the bag. Opening it up the blonde rummaged through it until he found what he was looking for. He pulled out two forehead protectors and two sheets of paper. Raising an eyebrow, the taller teen waited for what was in store this time.

"Here, take this and strap it on you somewhere." he said as Gohan took it and tied it to his upper left arm. Naruto continued, "It's a forehead protector, like the one i used to wear, but this one is from one of those Grass Ninja we stopped yesterday, i snuck in and got it this morning. And these.." He gave his friend the sheets of paper, "..are the Jounin exam papers we found off them, i also snatched them too."

Gohan was still confused at this point as he put them in his left pocket, "Uh ok.. so what are we going to do with them?" he asked.

Naruto fastened the other protector to his forehead, "Well it's simple really, well pose as Grass Ninja for the Jounin exams, that way no one will suspect anything. Plus i want to see how much everyone has improved and not give myself away. I'm Inuzu and you're the leader of the group Teliac, so we'll have to call each other by those names in the village when near others. Also, because there is supposed to be a third Chuunin with us we will have to come up with a cover story to explain it." he smiled.

A bit worried by this Gohan responded nervously, "Don't you think it would be best to just go and see them and be on our way? I don't want to cause any trouble."

Naruto sighed, it was typical Gohan; always worried about things going wrong. He'd been that way ever since he started High School, having to conceal his powers from others. The blonde had some convincing to do.

"Oh come on Gohan, we've got all summer off and its not like they can hurt us or anything. If they don't want us, we can go back anytime. Besides... it'll be fun!" he ended with a huge smile.

The Z warrior groaned, he now resented coming with Naruto on this trip of his. '_Why didn't i leave him to go on his own... oh thats right, to make sure he wouldn't do anything like we're about to do!_' he frowned. '_At least Gotens not here, that would have been far worse_!' He looked up at Naruto who was still smiling, "Ok Naruto, but please, don't cause any trouble."

"Aww come on Gohan we both need some R and R time and this will be a great vacation!"

"Alright, alright i get it." he paused a moment, "Don't you think you should henge into someone else so that they don't recognise you?" he suggested.

"Of course, since i'll be using my Ki they won't be able to see through it either as it's more a powerful energy source." He put his hands together and whispered, "Henge!"

A poof of smoke later stood a jet black haired figure that was a tad taller than Naruto, but roughly the same height. His hair was just longer than Gohan's and had a paler skin complexion. He kept the same attire however.

"Right then, let's go" the new Naruto said. With that, they turned and walked side by side on the path to Konoha.

A gentle breeze brushed passed the duo as they spotted the Konoha's North Gate on the horizon. It seemed like an eternity since he last saw it, the place where he grew up as a child. He'd always had the mixture of both love and hate for it's very being.

Gohan tilted his head to Naruto, "So this is Konoha? Look's just how you described."

The now black haired teen with blue eyes scowled a little, "Well obviously, you know i don't lie. And hey, it wasn't like i was going anywhere at the time." he replied, remembering how he couldn't re-access the giant square machine in Gohan's dimension when he first went through to the other side.

"Heh, i guess your right. A good thing too, otherwise i would never have found my best friend."

Naruto laughed, "Haha, but of course. And learning from you has been the best part of my life."

"Likewise, because of you even i have reached new levels." The tall teen said in an accomplished tone. "But remember, suppress your power at all times, we don't want to attract any unwelcomed attention... just yet, if your plan is to succeed."

The smaller pouted, "Yeah, yeah i know. I wonder how everyone is doing since the last time i saw them."

The Z warrior glanced back at him, "So what's our 'cover' story, since i'm gonna play the leader in this little adventure, i'll need to say it."

Naruto tapped his chin for a few minutes as they kept walking. Finally he snapped out of his thoughts, "I got it; just say she was killed in the last mission we were on, but since we had already signed up we came to take it anyway." Gohan accepted this, but decided he would make a few additions of his own when he needed to.

As they approached the gate, they saw two Chuunin guards were looking down, deep in thought. Suddenly they perked up there heads and one moved forward to block them.

"Hold it right there! Who are you and what business do you have in Konoha?" Asked the Chuunin to the left.

"We are going to need some identification from the two of you or you're not getting in this village!" said the other in an authortive tone, trying to intimidate the seeming shinobi that stood before him.

Naruto raised an eyebrow and shot a glance at the second Chuunin to speak. "Of course we do, theres no need to shout." he simply stated.

Gohan put his hand inside his left trouser pocket to search for the assessment papers. Finding them, he lifted his arm out to the Chuunin, the man took it from him and read the contents carefully.

"So you're from the Village Hidden in the Grass and here to take the Jounin exam eh?" The two gave a slight nod. He continued, "Its not common for Grass Ninja to be so open in their appearance from what we have seen, its quite refreshing i guess. We must also look in the contents that you carry on your backs for security reasons."

The two brothers gazed at the Chuunin who spoke but complied, undid the straps and showed the contents which consisted of the normal ninja clothing and weapons. Naruto gave a simple answer, "We have nothing to hide."

Eying them suspiciously after accepting what he saw the taller Chuunin spoke again, "You do realise that even though it isn't against the rules to have any less members, this Jounin exam is supposed to be taken with three Chuunin to a team?"

Gohan stepped forward and repeated their cover story since he was posing as the leader, "Yes, we are well aware of this. However, at this time our third member had recently been killed on our latest mission, after we had already signed up for the exam. Though it was a success, she died in the line of duty for her village on a mission of great importance. A death any shinobi would be honoured by, wouldn't you agree?" he spoke with such confidence and without any emotion. '_I hope they bought that_.' he thought.

"Yes... well your paperwork seems to be in order, you may enter the Village." replied the Chuunin that had been given the identification and handed it back to its owner.

Again, giving the slightest of nods the pair walked onward and into the village continuing at their previous pace. After they were far enough away and out of hearing range the two began to converse once again, "I can't believe they bought that, nice save." Naruto started. "Konoha is relaxed as ever, even with war on the near horizon. Though i got to give them credit for the amount of confidence they have in their ninja's ability, either that or they're just plain dumb. Thankfully my silly dream died on that great day, i'm going to enjoy seeing their faces when i tell them where i've been!" he said with a wide grin.

"Heh heh, well don't get ahead of yourself just yet. We still have a fair way to go because of this 'plan' of yours. Why we couldn't just go and kill'em all right out is beyond me, but i guess you just want to show off eh?" Gohan said slyly, as Naruto looked up. "I mean it would probably have solved quite a few problems if the Sound were destroyed from what i've heard."

"Ah you know me too well. Don't worry, we'll deal with them later." the shorter chuckled. "Now that phase 3 of the mission is complete, it'll become more difficult especially acting as stupid Grass Ninja."

"Just a little.. should be fun.. if you don't get us in too much trouble!"

They disappeared from the street and reappeared on top of the Hokage Mountain.

Naruto laughed, "So they put up Tsunade's face on the mountain after all. I guess it had to be done sometime."

Gohan looked over at the carvings in the side of the cliff. "So who are these people then, i remember you saying something about a Tsunade person, but that's all."

"They're the past Hokage's of the Leaf Village." he explained. "As you see it, from your right to left the faces are the people who have been the head Ninja of this Village and then succeed by another because of such things as death or they have been defeated by another Leaf Ninja in an approved battle by the council."

"Ah i see, so this woman is now this village's Hokage?" he pointed to the furthest left face and looked back at Naruto, who nodded.

"She is Tsunade, one of the people i still care in this place and one of the handful who didn't hate me for what i was." he sighed.

Sensing his depression, Gohan attempted to snap him out of it, "Come on Naruto, let's go and see if we can find a place to stay. We maybe here a long time thanks to you!"

His endeavour to change his friend's mood succeeded as Naruto sniggered. "Alright then, we have to go to the Hokage's office to sign in like at the Mist Village. Follow me..." and with that they blurred out of vision again.

* * *

A gust of wind kicked up a concealed ally a block away from the Hokage tower. The posing Grass Ninja suddenly materialised out of thin air. The two walked out and into the street that was full of people going about busy with their daily lives. As the two strolled by, villagers inspected them, head to toe after realising that they weren't from the Leaf. Some gave hated looks, others gave questionable ones and a few were even slightly afraid. Shrugging to each other, the pair headed on until the reached the Hokage tower. 

Entering the building, Naruto went over to the receptionist and gave her their details. After a few minutes they where shown to a small waiting area. He was shocked since he never new that there even was one. Then again he always used to just show himself in anyway. Naruto chuckled softly.

"Shimatta, i hope they don't make us wait too long. I'm getting hungry." Gohan whined as his belly growled.

Naruto rolled his eyes, "Your ALWAYS hungry! I mean i like to eat, but sheesh you just never stop! They sat down beside each other on two wooden chairs. Thankfully, there was no one else in the room which meant it probably wouldn't be long before they could see the Hokage and leave.

Some time later, the two were called up to the Hokage's office. Walking along the corridors reminded Naruto of a past he'd tried to forget. New tiles and display items had been put up and the place was much cleaner. Finally, the last corner came up and two big wooden doors stood before them. Naruto went ahead of his friend and pushed them open and they entered the room.

In many ways it was similar to that of the Mizukage's office, though there were elements that were noticeably different such as the desk being near the window and not against the wall and the colour was brighter as more light was let in. The Hokage of the Hidden Leaf was busy in paper work. Gohan and Naruto looked across to one another. '_Is that what Kage's do all day?_' the both thought in sync. To Naruto, Tsunade hadn't changed a bit, still wearing the same clothes and keeping up her Genjutsu act.

Finishing off the last paper on her desk she breathed a sigh of relief, sat back and relaxed. Apparently she hadn't heard the two enter the room, "Sakura! Get me some sake.. NOW!" the woman yelled. The two brothers had to shield their ears at her little outburst. After a moments hesitation she felt another presence in the room. As she looked up two Grass Ninja where standing with their hands over their ears.

Slapping her forehead she turned a tinge of red in embarrassment, "Sorry about that, long day." the Hokage managed as she sat back again and folded her arms. Picking up a piece of paper off her desk she looked back and forth at the two infront of her. "So you two are Grass Chuunin here to take the Jounin exams i see." They nodded in unison, "I heard what happened to your comrade from the guards at the gate and i must say that it is brave of you both to still take the assessment, since you are now at a disadvantage to the other participants."

The 'Henged' Naruto stepped forward, clearly seeing Tsunade in her true form with ease. "Thanks for your concern, but you don't need to worry about us. We'll be fine."

She eyed them suspiciously, "You are Teliac, the team leader?" she questioned in a sharp tone.

Gohan stepped forward at this point, "No, I am Teliac. This is Inuzu." he said in character. "We need a place to stay while the exams are on."

"Of course, all Ninja here for the Jounin assessment have special accommodations." She pulled out a piece of paper from inside her desk and handed it to Gohan who looked it over. "That is your required document for living quarters while you are here." the Hokage explained.

At that moment a young woman burst through the side door carrying more papers in one hand and a bottle of sake in the other. She put them down on the desk and Tsunade grumbled in anger, "Will it ever end!"

Naruto instantly recognised the pink haired Kunoichi as Sakura. He had to admit she was even more beautiful than before. Wearing a semi black and pink underneath and a Chuunin vest over the top, along with a pair of tight white shorts, the teen also sported black gloves. She had kept her hair the same length from when he last saw her with the forehead protector in the exact same position, and eyes which still sparkled an endless emerald glow. After his quick glance Naruto looked away remembering all the pain and suffering she had inflicted on him. He only chose to act like he loved her as it made him feel a little normal, even if he was rejected every time.

Gohan on the other hand, started to get nervous, he was never good around teenage girls and would mostly likely say something bad and upset her if asked a question. Videl was a prime example, sometimes she could be the happiest person in the world and others she would be so demanding and mean. Sighing in defeat, he would never know how the female mind worked.

Sakura noticed the two onlookers and turned back to her sensei, "Are these Grass Ninja here for the Jounin exams Tsunade-same?" she asked.

"Yes, they were just collecting their accommodation documents. Has your team been preparing well Sakura?"

"Hai Hokage-sama! We have trained hard; i will not let you down."

All Naruto could do was smile, this would be so much fun. Gohan too gave a small smile, finally remembering the name. Naruto had once told him he was in a team of 3 with a girl called Sakura and a guy named Sasuke, but he refused to go any further into detail on the subject. The duo bowed and left the room without hesitation as the two females watched them leave.

Outside the building once they had got the keys and map to their apartment, Gohan spoke, "So that was the Hokage of the Village. She's not very strong, even less than the Mizukage. Surely there are others who could be a better protector?" he inquired.

"Nope, she's the strongest in the village. I can't believe i was even weaker than her once!" he answered as the two friends laughed together reminiscing at old times.

Suddenly Gohan's stomach rumbled again and they stopped. "I think it wants food now. Have you got any money to pay for things?" Gohan said.

"Oh, did i forget to mention, i also took all the Grass Nins money too... hahaha!" Naruto burst out laughing.

Though he hated people stealing, Gohan let this one slide. '_I guess its not like those 3 were going anywhere right now, so they don't exactly need the money_.' he reasoned to himself. "Ok, lets find a good place to eat before i collapse from food deprivation." he said worryingly, which just added to Naruto's outburst.

After searching for an appropriate place, Gohan had been drawn to a nearby restaurant. Walking in, they found the place had barely anyone inside. Making their way to a table in the corner Naruto spotted 4 people at a window seat glaring at them as they went past. He recognised the 3 teens as Ino, Chouji and Shikamaru with their smoking sensei. They all wore Chuunin vests and were tucking into another steak.. well Chouji was tucking into another steak. Inwardly laughing, he turned to find Gohan already at the table happily ordering everything off the menu. '_Damn Sayians! He's worse than Chouji by a mile!_' he thought whilst slapping his head. He sat down to listen in on Team 6 to gather any useful information.

Meanwhile, the group of four were most interested in the new arrivals to their 'hangout'. Spotting the slight look the smaller of the two had given them Shikakmaru sat up out of his un-winded state and began, "Hey, did you see that quick glance that Grass guy gave us or was that just me?" he asked in a lazy tone.

"Yeah, it looked like he remembered us from somewhere but i've never seen him before. Have you Asuma-sensei?" Ino said added.

Taking his cigarette out of his mouth Asuma shook his head, "No i've not come across either of them." he responded. Chouji didn't take that much notice and went back to eating. Sighing Asuma changed the topic. "So are you 3 ready for the Jounin exam in a few days?"

"Yeah sensei we're well prepared and looking for to it... right guys?" A chewing of food and a roll of eyes was all she got as an answer. Ino frowned, "Anyway, we are ready and we'll be sure to advance to Jounin level."

"You know that all the other rookie 9 teams are entering too right?" questioned Asuma.

"Of course, we get together alot for old times sake and to train a bit. Especially for Sakura, she's never been the same since Sasuke went away and then Naruto dying... we all haven't." adding sadly. "Her new team-mates are nice, but they can't take the place of those two."

That last statement from Ino made Naruto look up with a piece of chicken stuck in is mouth. '_Did i really just hear right...? Did Ino, of all people, imply that she missed me! Damn i think i'm hearing things again. It'll be amusing to see the old gang again, even if they don't know it's me. I wonder if anything has changed accept their ranks._' He turned his attention back to his chicken and saw Gohan down another plate in mere seconds. '_One thing that won't change is his eating habits! I'll never get used to that!_' he laughed as Gohan put away another bowl instantly.

After consuming nearly everything on the menu, Gohan relaxed back in his chair and gave out a large sigh. "Oh man that was some good grub! I'm so full!"

"You better be, you just about ate everything in the place!" Naruto shouted, catching the attention of the Leaf Shinobi.

"Sorry, but you know i can't help how my metabolism works." The tall black teen moaned.

Naruto rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah i've heard that before! Come on we need to find our apartment and get sorted." With that they got up and headed to the counter. After paying for their rather large bill and a few wide stares later, they walked out of the restaurant to find their apartment.

Team 6 had just witnessed something very bizarre. Two Grass Ninjas had waltzed into their restaurant and ordered a humongous amount of food, even by Chouji's standards. Then they had a few laughs as if they owned the place, ate through everything and paid for it and went like nothing had happened.

"What the hell was that! That one guy just ate through the whole menu! He didn't even look big enough to put it anywhere!" Ino said, still star struck.

Asuma had just lit another fag from dropping the other out of his mouth when it went wide a few minutes previously. "Those guys must be the Hidden Grass Village Chuunins that are here to take the Jounin exam. They seem pretty weird and mysterious. Maybe you should follow them to find out all you can." he suggested to his students.

"Heh, too troublesome." Shikamaru managed, relaxing back in the seat.

Chouji went back to his meal, "Yeah... i'm still eating here" he whined.

Ino on the other hand had already decided for them, "Great idea sensei, we could learn alot about our opponents before we go into battle!" she said and with that dragged the two struggling guys out of the restaurant. Asuma just sighed at the sight...

* * *

**End Chapter Notes**

Need to know what you think about the Chakra-Ki thing. I think it sounded plausible..? Tell me what you think.

Read-Review Thankyou!

Next chapter - Lots of Action!

See you next time!


	6. Down Memory Lane

**Disclaimer:** I don't own either Naruto or Dragonball Z.

**Notes:** Thanks everyone for your comments and about the Ki-Chakra thing. I was going for them being the same concept, but one is using it on the inside were as the other is releasing it. I'll go into more detail later in the story. Oh and just to let you know, this will be a long fic.

To answer a few questions:

- Naruto won't be revealing himself... just yet. Its hard to say when, suffice to say he will...

- Right now its still in the works, but i can say that a new and powerful enemy will emerge soon and Akatsuki has something to do with it.

- Sasuke will show up a little later... how could he not!

- The Sharingan or any blood-limit the characters have will not be copied in this fic by another - the same goes for Gohan's SSJing ability, think of it as his blood-limit - since I've seen a few fics were the ssj ability is copied.

Anyway, on to the goood stuff. Enjoy.

* * *

Dialogue: 

"talking" - normal speech

_'In italics' _- thoughts

**-: Flashback :- **

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 5 - Down Memory Lane**

The two fighters had ended up in a part of the village Naruto had never been to before. Holding up the small map they had acquired from the receptionist along with keys in hand, the pair casually found the right address. It was a small white-stained coloured apartment and was entirely made out of stone. On entering they discovered the room had a negative feel about it, as the windows were shut and boarded up and the place smelled worse than rotting corpses.

"Oh man! My old place wasn't even as bad as this!" Naruto exclaimed as he coughed and held his nose.

Gohan too was shocked but for a different reason, "This is unbelievable, how could they let others stay in a place such as this!" he shook his head. "Come on Naruto we have to do something about this." And on that note the two brothers dropped their bags on the couch and sped around the flat cleaning it from top to bottom.

Outside Ino, Chouji and Shikamaru looked on from a small hill top a fair distance away from the compound. Seeing the two Grass Ninjas enter the apartment Ino tilted her head to face her comrades. "So what do you make of these guys, they seem pretty normal to me. I wonder where their other team member is, you're supposed to have 3 to a team for this exam… right?"

"Uh, they don't look any different from any other Grass Nin i've seen." Shikamaru replied, turning around to look up at the sky and closed his eyes.

"Well that's what Tsunade-sama said when she informed us of the rules." Chouji stated, "But she also added that if special circumstances came up then a team could be enter with less members if they still wished to participate. Maybe they are one of the cases?"

"Huh, well if that's true, then it wasn't a good idea on their part since they'll be at a huge disadvantage, especially to us!" Ino said victoriously.

"Well they must be strong to not need another team-mate. Meh, this is too troublesome."

Ino's eye twitched and she stood up over the lazy Chuunin, "Everything's too troublesome for you Shikamaru!" she shouted, slamming her foot to the ground and waving her arms around. The two males slowly baked-up and covered their ears, knowing what they were in for next. Fortunately, a loud 'Poofing' noise came from the Hidden Grass Nin's flat stopping Ino in her tracks. As they looked over Team 6's eye's widened as the once boarded up, dirty looking apartment had been cleaned all over and the windows were now visible and washed in the few moments the trio hadn't been watching.

"W-what the..." Shikamaru managed. Still stunned the team decided to keep their gaze on the flat from now on.

Inside, Gohan had just come back in from washing the outside of the small house and taking off the wooden boards that were nailed across the window and cleaning them. When he came back into the living area he clicked a capsule, throwing it to the corner a loud 'Poof' sound was made. In it's place stood the wardrobe, '_May aswell do it now.'_ he thought.

By this time, Naruto had come back into the room too and yawned slightly. "Hey Gohan, lets go take a walk around the village and i'll show you some of the sights!" he smiled.

The tall teen shrugged, "Yeah why not, this place is cleaned up now so we don't have to do it later." And with that they turned and headed out the door.

As they walked back to society Naruto sighed, "Geez are those 3 still following us, oh well.. it maybe interesting."

Gohan wasn't really paying attention and instead was taking in his surroundings. The village reminded him of his home on Mt.Pau where life seemed simple, the way people were going about their business in peace and without worry. There were times that he would love to just live carefree, not fighting anymore and let someone else do it. But he knew he couldn't, he had a responsibility to protect the world since it was usually his or his friends fault for others attacking anyway. Shaking himself out of his gloomy mood he looked to his now black haired companion.

"So where to first Naruto?" he whispered as they passed others.

"Well i was thinking, i would like to see my old place again one last time. Then i thought we could just stroll round for a bit and see if anything new has happened, or changed. Maybe we can get those three to come out from spying on us and talk to them. I only got a glance at them in the restaurant." He said.

"Huh, are they still following us?" Gohan said looking clueless.

The smaller posing Grass Nin slapped his face, "Baka Gohan! I just told you that!" he sighed

"Oh sorry, i wasn't paying attention... so what should we do about it?" Gohan asked.

Naruto grinned, "Just follow me, i've got an idea." picking up the pace a little the pair headed to the forest.

After a few minutes walking through the densely crowed trees, the duo saw an opening in the distance.

"... 4997... 4998... 4999... 5000! Gai-sensei i have completed 5000 thumb-ups! What is the next training exercise?"

"Lee my student, you have blossomed well! YOUR FLAME OF YOUTH BURNS BRIGHTER THAN EVER! Next, we shall..." The tall bowl cut man wearing green spandex stopped and turned to see 2 people coming into his team's training area. He walked forward a few steps and stood his ground in front of a mini look alike of himself and two others. Eyeing them with suspicion, Gai spoke to the two newcomers, "Who are you two and what business do you have here?" Gai asked, in slightly anxious tone.

"Oh don't mind us, we were just passing by." Naruto said. "And so we can inform the others we know of their presence." He turned to his right and looked up. "Hey, you 3 can come out now; we know you've been following us since we exited the restaurant."

Gai and his team gave the young man puzzled looks. Suddenly, Ino, Chouji and Shikamaru appeared slightly to their left and took up a fighting stance. Shocked by this they too got into their positions, waiting for an upcoming battle.

Gohan looked worryingly to his friend who turned to face the 7 Leaf shinobi, "Uh.. gosh, hi... um... we don't mean you any harm. Like my team-mate said; we were just passing through. I'm Teliac of the Grass and this is Inuzu. We are here to take the Jounin exams." the tall spiky haired fighter said as he rubbed the back of his neck.

Shikamaru folded his arms and slightly tilted his head, "How did you know we were following you from the restaurant? We took every precaution and where far enough away for you to spot us. Only a high Jounin would have been able to sense our presence, unless you are one." he concluded.

Naruto decided to have some fun, "Oh really, i guess that explains why the Jounin over there was so surprised to see you!" he laughed as Gohan sweat dropped, not liking where this was headed.

"Gai-sensei is the greatest ninja in the whole World, do not disrespect him!" the min-sized version of Gai shouted.

Raising an eyebrow Naruto retorted, "Oh, and what are you going to do about it...?"

Rock Lee shook in anger before final releasing it and pointing his finger at the Grass Ninja with a flame of passion in his eyes. "I will challenge you now to a friendly Tiajutsu Dual. You will take back your words once i have beaten you!"

Gai spoke grabbed Lee, "My student! You make me proud!" He started tearing up.

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

They embraced... and it continued...

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

Naruto sweat dropped along with everyone else, remembering this all too well. Gohan just looked on, confused at the sight before him.

"Is that so... eh?" He turned back to his pale looking friend, "Can i play Teliac... please."

Gohan was sweating buckets being put in this position, "Gosh, why do we have to fight.. can't we all just get along?" He then whispered in Naruto's ear, "Why do you have to cause so much trouble? Just don't show them anything they don't need to see." After that he scuffled back a few spaces and sat on a rock grumbling something incomprehensible.

All the leaf ninja were shocked. The supposed leader of the Grass Ninja looked like he was going to pass out any second while the other moved into position to take on Lee, who was a Tiajutsu specialist.

All the Hidden Leaf backed up ready to watch the match. Smiling with the exception of Neji, who rarely smiled, Team Gia, Ino and Chouji knew it was going to be over in a few seconds. Shikamaru on the other hand wasn't so sure, the Grass Ninja gave off a weird vibe. '_Definitely one to be wary of. I wonder how he fights, this should be go a long way in finding out whether he is a threat._' he thought

Gai spoke, "The first to make the other unconscious wins the duel. Tiajutsu only... Ready...? Begin!"

Lee got into his favourite stance, but his opponent just stood with his hands by his sides. Frowning, Lee wondered what the Grass Nin was thinking. "You should take this battle more seriously, i am a specialist in Tiajutsu and will not be defeated easily." he smirked with confidence.

"Huh, are you sure? Your form could do with alot of improvement, but its to be expected from a Ninja of the Hidden Leaf." Naruto laughed, trying to anger and provoke Lee into attacking.

His plan succeed as the green spandex wearing teen shot from his current spot and jumped high into the air. "Konoha Senpu!" Lee shouted as he gave a mid-air roundhouse kick aimed at Naruto's head. A split second before impact, he raised his right arm to block the incoming attack with no effort in the slightest. Lee's eye's widened along with every other Leaf Ninja watching. Jumping back he set down into another 'imperfect' stance.

To the onlookers, it was like witnessing the impossible. Lee had just delivered a perfect Senpu Kick to the Grass Nin, but he had blocked it quicker than lightning. To make matters worse, Lee's weights which were inside his training socks didn't inflict any damage either, let alone make him move.

"T-that's impossible. No one can react that fast, i didn't even see him move!" Ino yelled.

Neji, who had also been in a state of shock, finally recovered and activated his Byakugan. He looked shocked and confused with what he saw. Shikamaru saw this and questioned him, "Neji, what is it, what do you see?"

"It's.. it's like he doesn't have any Chakra. I can barley see traces of it throughout his body. But it can't be, he shouldn't be moving with so little chakra inside him!" he exclaimed catching the attention of the others. He looked over to the leader of the two and saw the same thing, "He is the same too!"

"But that means they can't do any jutsus and must also rely solely on Tiajutsu. Lee has Chakra, but he can't mould it to make jutsus. If what you say is true about this guy, he wouldn't ever be able to do any either." TenTen concluded.

They turned there attention back to the fight which was still going on. Lee was in the middle of throwing a flurry of attacks against the challenger, but he blocked every strike ... with one arm! Once more he dropped back, this time panting. '_This isn't possible! He blocked all my attacks with only one arm without so much as breaking a sweat! I have to do something... i know._' The young Green Beast slowly unravelled his arm bandages till they were arms length. Naruto yawned, the last time he saw this attack it was remarkable, but now...

Suddenly, Lee bent down and disappeared, utilising his maximum speed with the weights on. Unfortunately, Naruto could see him move like he was in slow motion. As Lee reappeared launching his vertical kick at his opponent, it cut clean through a ghost of Naruto, who had vanished. All Leaf shinobi frantically looked around, even Neji couldn't find the Grass Ninja. Turning to Teliac who was sitting to the rock, he smiled shyly. In a flash, Lee was punched in the gut. Falling fast, he was out before he hit the floor.

Standing back up straight, Naruto gave a slight bow and turned to Gohan who now had his eyes closed. Before he moved away Naruto spoke, "That was... interesting. I hope to see what you other Leaf Ninja can do in the exam." he said in a mocking tone.

By this time, all the others on the sideline had run over to Lee to make sure he was still alive. Gai checked his pulse, and found he was just unconscious but was still in need of medical attention. He threw his student over his shoulder to take him to the hospital. Wanting to give a few departing words to the Grass Chuunin, he looked at where they had been standing, only to find them gone. Searching around, he couldn't spot them, "This is not good! You 5 better watch yourselves in the upcoming exam; those Grass Ninja are very powerful in Taijutsu. I have to go and get Lee to hospital to make sure he's ok."

"We'll come too!" Ino said, and with that they sprinted off in the direction of Konoha's hospital.

* * *

Emerging on the outskirts of the forest, the two posing Grass Shinobi stood. It was now late afternoon and the sun shone down brightly over the village. The pair began walking again to another location. 

"Don't you think you went kinda overboard there, now they're gonna start asking all these questions!" The Z warrior said slightly worried.

Naruto rolled his eyes, "Oh come on Gohan, it was just a bit of fun. Now we won't have to be bothered by others in the first part of the exams... if its anything like the Chuunin one."

Gohan sighed in defeat, somehow his best friend would always come up with a good excuse to keep him staying out of trouble, and the way he went about it with innocence just added to his release.

After sometime walking Naruto stopped just round the corner of small house, only a little larger than the one they were staying at. A girl was bent over what appeared to be some sort of memorial that had been set up just outside. The young woman was holding a flower in her hand and she placed it on top of many others that were lined up. She began to cry a little and spoke so softly that neither could hear her. Sniffling, she picked herself up. The girl had long deep purple hair matched with a hooded jacket of different shades of the same colour and black pants that extended to just above her ankles. A Leaf forehead protector could also be seen tied around her neck. Naruto finally recognised her as Hinata. '_Why would she be here? And what was she doing?_' he thought.

With another sniff she departed from the scene. The two fighters looked to each other. "What was that all about? Who lives... or lived there?" asked Gohan.

"That's where i used to live. I don't know what's going on though, lets take a closer look." The duo sauntered over to the front of Naruto's old home. Beside the door was a small stone memorial with flowers randomly scattered over and around it. On the top was a picture of Naruto when he was still a Genin in the Leaf. The stone structure appeared to have writing on it. Taking a closer look Naruto read it out loud:

"This is statue is to honour Uzumaki Naruto, who gave his life to save others. A true Shinobi of the Leaf." he got back up and smiled. "At least they acknowledged me in the end..." He looked to his former house, "... a bit too late though eh? Guess i should have killed myself from the start if i wanted attention!" he joked.

Gohan didn't know what to say, "Uh.. I guess you had more than a handful that cared about Naruto." he said trying to comfort his brother.

"Doubful, only after i died... oh well it doesn't matter, its not like we're staying long. Even when they find out, i'm sure everyone will revert back to hating me." he sighed. "Come on, i want to see if they moved out any of my stuff." Opening the door the two went inside.

Naruto gasped, the place had actually been cleaned! Looking round he found nothing but the bare essentials, nothing of his was there anymore. "It must have been moved somewhere else" he thought out loud. "Ah lets go Gohan, this place reminds me of a worser time."

The two had just exited the house when they heard a scuffling of boots coming round the corner. With out hesitation they disappeared to the roof of the building opposite. After a few moments, a figure came into view. Both identified the who it was with ease. Only one girl had pink hair in the whole village, Sakura. The teenaged Kunoichi bent down and placed a flower with the others.

The two posing Grass Ninjas were able to hear what was being said this time from their new location. "Hey Naruto... i just came by to let you know i've been training hard with Zak and Sai for the Jounin exams. The gangs doing fine too, we've all entered for this year's and i'm sure most, if not all of us can pass." She paused for a moment and continued, "I can't believe it was 3 years ago this week the last time i saw you. You were so energetic and always smiling. I'm sorry i made it difficult for you all the time flaunting over Sasuke... i guess you never know what you had until you've lost it." she sniffed holding back the forming tears in her eyes. "Tsunade-sama has been training me as you know and i've learned lots of medical jutsu from her. I wish i could see you just one more time to show you... i'm sorry Naruto." With that she stood and walked away with her hand on her heart.

Naruto was puzzled, this wasn't like Sakura at all. Never would he have thought she could become anything more than a 'love-sick Sasuke bitch'. Surely his demise wouldn't affect her that much. Sighing at his now crowded thoughts, he looked to Gohan who had a small smile on his lips.

"See, i told you. The people do care for you Naruto, more than you think."

Naruto huffed, still not convinced, "Yeah right.. anyway, lets go. I could do with something to eat to take my mind off all this nostalgia."

"And you say i'm always hungry!" Gohan laughed as they vanished from the building top.

* * *

Meanwhile, Lee was sleeping in a hospital bed, still out from Naruto's blow. On the other side of the room, his friends and mentor waited to hear how he was doing. The silence was deafening for Ino who couldn't last any longer. 

"How the hell did that guy defeat Lee! He's the fastest and one of the strongest of all the Chuunins, but he was taken down in an instsnt by that Grass guy!" she yelled.

Looking up, Gai had a worried face, "I don't know Ino. I've never come across Grass Ninja who are so adept at Tiajutsu before. Usually they rely mostly on Ninjutsu, but it seems they must have expanded their capabilities. Remember, the last time we saw any was at the Chuunin exams 4 years ago. And even then we didn't get to see them fight since Orochimaru killed them and used their bodies."

Shikamaru sighed at another busy day. He just hated busy days, "To put it simply we don't know what their abilities and limits are. Though it is clear from what Neji said, they can't use any Chakra for Ninjutsus and Genjusts since they don't have enough to pull off even the simplest. Therefore, using them may be the only way to defeat the two in battle."

"True, but even i could not see him with my Byakugan when he disappeared. Thus, we may not get a chance to use any. They are indeed strong opponents." Neji finished.

Chouji, who was looking more like his father every day, in every aspect, was busy eating his favourite bag of potatoes chips but still paid attention to the conversation. The same went for TenTen who sat back opposite. She looked fitter and more versatile than 3 years ago. Wearing a simple Chinese looking top and matching bottoms whilst training, she still kept the trademark buns in her hair, but they were now white rather than black.

Just then Tsunade came round the corner, followed closely by Shizune. The two walked up to the waiting Ninja and stopped. "Lee will be fine, he is just resting." Tsunade started, "What happened to him? How did he end up this way?" She asked.

"Hokage-sama, my beautiful student's flame burns brightly as he went into battle! It was a wonderful sight!" Gai hesitated, "However, we underestimated the ability of the Grass Ninja. He beat Lee with a single hit to the gut when they engaged in a friendly Taijutsu duel."

Tsunade and Shizune were shocked. Lee was nearly as strong as Gai, who was one of, if not _the_ best Taijutsu master in Konoha. The Leaf Hokage thought back, '_One of those Grass Ninja did this to Lee in? I new something was different about them_.'

Gai continued, "But after activating his Byukugan, Neji informed us that they only have trace amounts of Chakra in their body, so they won't be able to use anything but Taijutsu effectively in the Jounin exams."

"What?" she turned to Neji, "How much compared to a normal ninja?" she asked the fully white clothed Hyuuga.

"Less than a tenth that would flow through a normal ninja's Chakra pathways Hokage-sama." Neji replied, still slightly bewlidered from what he saw.

Both Tsunade and Shuzine were both flung back into a stunned state. "W-what! T-that should not be possible, with so little chakra a person couldn't survive!" the old woman shouted.

"Tsunade-sama, we also followed them before they encountered Gai-sensei and his team. They knew we were watching from the beginning even though we were well hidden!" Ino added.

Deep in thought, Tsunade came up with her decision. "It is clear that these are no ordinary Ninja. I will assign a few ANBU to watch over them whilst they are taking the exams. Wolf, Hawk." she called

Suddenly two ANBU wearing a Wolf and Hawk mask appeared beside her, "Hokage-sama, what are your orders?"

"You are to watch over the two Grass Ninja that are here to take the Jounin exams and report to me every 3 hours on their ware bouts and what they do."

"Hai Hokage-sama!" they replied and disappeared.

Tsunade turned back to the other Leaf Shinobi, "Lee should be awake in a short time so you can visit him then. Have you all prepared for the assessment?" an echo of 'Hai's' could be heard throughout the group. "Well then, i must get back to my office, a Hokage's work is never over. Good luck, i should see you all in the next 2 days." and with that she left the scene.

* * *

"I haven't had that in a while; Ichiraku's still the best ramen around." Naruto said patting his stomach. 

The two fighters had been to Naruto's once favourite food place in the Village. It was nice to see Ayame and her father again even though they didn't recognise him. The stand looked in bad shape and he overheard them talking about how they would be going under soon if there weren't more customers. Fortunately for them, Naruto and Gohan ordered 30 bowls each. Shocked at how they were both able to eat and pay for it, the pair in the stand couldn't believe their luck. There was a God after all.

"Yeah, that raman stuff sure did the trick, though i needed a lot to fill me." Gohan said as he narrowed his eyes. "Oh man, it looks like they've sent others to spy on us now! I told you it was a bad idea to fight!"

Naruto laughed, "Meh, its only ANBU, they can do all the spying they like since they won't see anything. Come on we better head back to the apartment, its getting quite late. We should get some rest for tomorrow's events."

On the way back to the flat, 3 Rain Nin came out of the shadows to intercept them. Stopping in front of the duo, one came forward and spoke, "Where have you stupid Grass Ninja been! We have been waiting for you for over a day now!" The Chuunin said angrily. "Have you been instructed on the agreed preparations?"

Gohan and Naruto looked to each other and thought fast, "Uh.. since we have just completed a very long mission where our 3rd member was killed, we had no time to be informed of the plan and we were told you would update us." Naruto said with confidence.

The Rain Nin acknowledged but didn't like that the pair in front hadn't been told before hand, add to that they didn't appear to wear the usual Grass Ninja garments. "We are to gather information about Konoha's defences and potential targets for attack. Since the 3rd exam doesn't begin till a week after the 2nd from what we have heard, that time will be used to pass on the data to an outside source. On the day of the 3rd exam, our villages along with the Sound and Cloud will assault the Leaf and destroy it!" he ended with a balled fist of rage.

Naruto, a little fazed composed himself again, "We understand and will do what is necessary to destroy the disease that is Konoha once and for all." The 3 Rain Nin bowed slightly and walked away.

Gohan raised an eyebrow, "So, four villages want to attack Konoha at the end of the exams. They're fortunate we're here."

His comrade chuckled, "Yeah... you know its funny, Orochimaru did the same thing 4 years ago. I'm surprised he couldn't think of a better method of attack. But with 4 villages instead of 2 this time, it would be an easy victory for them."

They started again for their apartment, "We'll have to do something when the time is right. I don't want to reveal myself just yet and we could collect alot of intelligence from those 3 Rain guys about the other Villages plans of attack." Naruto summed up.

Gohan thought for a moment then looked back, "Ok, we may have to look round the border nearer the attack day. But until then we can pass on false information about the Leaf Village to this 'source'.

"Good idea, but right now i need some sleep. We should get some training in too before the exams start aswell."

* * *

**End Chapter Notes**

Read-Review Thankyou!

Eish! Got a party to go to now!

See you next time!


	7. Potential Threats?

Disclaimer: I don't own either Naruto or Dragonball Z. 

Notes: Thanks for all the positive comments everyone! Makes me want to write more!

This chapter is a little shorter... sort of like an interlude, but is still vital to the story.

Sidenote - Yes i did mean 2 inches and not 2 feet - oopsie!

* * *

Dialogue: 

"talking" - normal speech

_'In italics' _- thoughts

**-: Flashback :- **

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 6 - Potentail Threats?**

Deep within a large mountain by the side of a river on the western edge of the Fire Country, 9 figures congregated on top of a group of tall rock structures. Each wore long dark cloaks with red patterned clouds, matched by the red housed silver rings they displayed with black inscriptions in the centre. Every individual had placed their own on a different finger. Silence sounded throughout the great cave as each appeared to be in a meditated state. The concealed figure in the centre opened his eyes slowly.

"It is time once again. You each have your assigned targets. The Bijuu's power inside each of the Jinchuuriki will soon belong to the Hell God." He slowly turned to two others on his left side. "Deidara... Sasori, you are to retrieve your target first. The one called 'Gaara', Jinchuuriki for the Ichibi and the Kazekage of the Sand."

"We have his location from our inside source... yeah." replied the long haired figure.

The other, who was bent over and appeared to be on all fours elaborated further, "He is headed to Konoha for their Jounin exams. On his return we will capture him and bring him back so we can begin the process."

"Very well. However, our late member; Orochimaru, is planning to attack the Village of the Leaf on the last day of the exam. If this is the case, you must extract him from the Village before that time since it is certain of destruction." The individual in the centre said. The two gave a small nod and disappeared from the scene. The Leader spoke again, "Have the rest of you located your Jinchuurikis'?" Again, barely visible nods were made by all, except one.

"My target, Uzumaki Naruto, the vessel of the Kyuubi has not been seen for a number of years and is supposedly deceased." a pale man explained.

The Leader narrowed his eyes, "It's power still lives, he is alive. I would have been aware of his demise if it was so. You must locate him and secure the most powerful of the Bijuu, but for now, you and Kisame are needed here." He turned back to face the group, "Once those have returned and the extraction process has been complete, Hidan... Kakuzu, you will retrieve your's. In the meantime, we must prepare. It will no doubt take longer without Orochimaru to aid us."

"Heh, that stupid fool only has two agendas right now; destroying Konoha and making Itachi's brother's body his own for the Sharingan." The tallest chuckled. The smaller figure sitting next to him shot a lazy glance.

"It is no concern of ours unless he interferes with the capture processes. He may become a liability in time and will be dealt with if such." Ended the individual positioned in the centre.

The 7 remaining took up their previous positions and went back to meditating.

* * *

Just outside Konohagakure, Naruto and Gohan flew just above the tall trees at a slow speed. They had decided to get a little physical training in before tomorrow, not that they needed it. 

Gohan, who was already acquainted with Naruto's favourite jutsu, still couldn't get over it's simplicity. "What a useful technique, since the amount of Ki that you put in a clone can depend on what the situation calls for. The way Tien explained his method was quite different to the Kage Busin no Jutsu."

Naruto smiled, "Yeah, it was the very first jutsu i learnt and has helped me out of so many tight spots in the past. The funny thing is; i only found out it's true extent the day before i got sucked into our world."

"Huh, what would that be?" The tall Z warrior questioned.

"The part we're using now actually. When they disappear we'll remember everything they've done since they've been in existence."

"Oh right... you mean you didn't notice that the first time you used the Jutsu?"

Naruto huffed, "Hey i was younger and less informed of such things back then. Plus, it wasn't like anyone was going to tell me since every Ninja in the Village hated me. My old sensei; Kakashi, wasn't exactly any help either and always avoided me if possible. Every time i asked him to assist me in training he would either be too busy, which meant reading his perverted books, or training Sasuke and even Sakura."

"I'm sorry Naruto; i can't even begin to imagine the pain you went through." Gohan sadly replied.

"Yeah i know, but it just makes me mad. I mean, i only tried to gain attention because I had no one to give me any. Sure the Old Man would come and see me every so often and occasionally bring new clothes and supplies, but i had to live in a dirty old house in the worst part of the village all alone since i was 4. On top of that, i was beaten by the villagers, continuously called names and shunned by the other kids because of their parents! The worst part was i didn't even know why."

At this point, Gohan could feel his friend's Ki rising rapidly; he had to do something quickly. "Naruto, you need to remember, you're nothing like them. Control your anger, don't let it control you."

Succeeding, Naruto's Ki began to fall back down to it's previous status. "You're right Gohan, i'm sorry."

The Half-Saiyan smiled, "Don't worry about it. Next time just focus the anger, don't let it drive you. Remember what happened last time..."

**-: Flashback :-**

"Come on Naruto, you have to dig deeper. Think about all the hate and suffering they've caused you! Channel it through your body and release it! Turn your anger into strength! Use it to protect the people you love!"

The wind kicked up around an enraged Naruto. Slowly tapping into his Ki, veins began to form and muscles ripped. Suddenly an aura surrounded him and he could feel the strength flowing through his very blood.

"I'll kill them! I'll kill them all!" He spat with hatred, as his Ki grew even larger.

Gohan had been trying to teach the blonde the same way his father once did him when he advanced to Super Saiyan. The young teen had amazing stamina and Ki for a normal human, no thanks to the Kyuubi. It had been difficult, and now after finally accessing his Ki, Naruto had been lost in a desire to fulfil his most distant needs for the very first time. "No Naruto control your anger; don't let it take you over!"

"No! They deserve to pay for everything they did to me! I'LL DESTROY THEM... I'LL DESTROY THEM ALL!" he shouted. The floor began to shake underneath him and crumble against the pure force he emanated. Bits of rocks started dancing around with the sheer power being released.

"NARUTO CALM DOWN!" Gohan yelled, trying to stop the path his best friend was taking in order to achieve this new power. But it wasn't working, "NARUTOOO!"

Acting fast, Gohan appeared behind him grabbing his arms and neck, stopping Naruto going any further. He dispersed the power that had once ran through him and collapsed to the ground, panting hard.

"I-i'm... sorry Gohan, i-i... couldn't help it." the blonde winced.

The Z warrior bent over and placed Naruto's arm over his shoulder. "I think that's enough training for today, you need to get some rest. We'll continue this another time." He said with a smile. "It looks like you altered the surroundings a little and scared the wildlife though..."

**-: End Flashback :-**

"How could i forget?" Naruto stated and looked at his best friend. "Thanks Gohan... for everything. I don't know what would have happened to me or what i would hav become if it wasn't for you and your family."

"Hey don't sweat it. We care for you Naruto, you're part of the family now, whether you like it or not." the tall teen chuckled. "Just remember to use your power to help others and protect those precious to you, just like you always say."

Giving a small smile and nod, the two continued at their pace.

* * *

Back in Konoha, the Gondamine Hokage sat in her office busy filling out paperwork. Her assistant; Shizune, stood by her side holding Puew against her body. At that moment, two more bodies filled the room. Tsunade looked up and placed both hands together resting her chin on top. 

"So...Wolf, Hawk... how are our guests doing?"

"They haven't changed in state Hokage-sama. The two Grass Ninja are still meditating on the roof of their apartment." answered the Hawk masked ANBU. The blonde woman sat up and sighed.

The Wolf masked ANBU stepped forward, "Hokage-sama, last night as we were watching them, the Rain Chuunin also here to take the exams, came out and spoke with them."

"What! Why was i not informed!" she said in anger.

"We wanted to step in if they started a fight, but that was not to be. Instead they spoke for a few minutes before the departing their separate ways. We thought it would be best to find out anything else before reporting it to you." he responded, slightly nervous.

Tsunade narrowed her eyes, "And did you hear what they said?"

"No, they were too far away. We think they were just sizing up the competition."

'_Something is definitely not right here, i don't know what it is... but i have a bad feeling about all of this._' Tsunade thought, "Keep watching them and inform me of anything else."

"Hai Hokage-sama!" they exclaimed in unison before disappearing from the room.

She turned to face her assistant who had been by her side for as long as she could remember, "What do you make of this Shizune?"

"I'm not sure Tsunade-sama. I think it is wise that you have appointed guards to watch them, since how the others described Lee was beaten and with such ease." the younger woman replied.

The Gondamine Hokage sat back in her chair and sighed once again, "I don't like this. We'll have to keep a close eye on those two at all times throughout the exam."

* * *

Descending onto a field amidst the surrounding trees, the two fighters landed one after the other. Gohan surveyed the landscape and found that the area was enclosed so that they would not be interrupted. He took out a capsule from his pocket. 

"So what are we going to do Gohan? This isn't exactly the best place to train, the locations to small." Naruto asked.

The Z warrior smiled, "Oh its just the right size for what i've got planned. Bulma gave this to me along with the others 2 days before we went, since she said me and you were in it all the time."

"You.. you can't mean..."

**-: Flashback :-**

"This... is called a Gravity Room, it creates a pressure force times that of Earth's normal gravity!" the young Gohan exclaimed with open arms.

The blonde fell into a state of shock, "B-but such things aren't possible!"

"Heh, tell that to Bulma. Anyway... this is where Vegeta always trains. Since the effects are constant throughout the whole body you can increase your physical strength, speed and stamina all at once. Plus it allows the user to go all out because it gets harder to move and release Ki when the gravity is increased." Gohan explained.

"So what level is Vegeta on?"

"Hmm... last time i checked he was around 450, and the thing only goes up to 500."

Having just come out of his stunned state, Naruto immediately fell back into it, "450 TIMES EARTH'S NORMAL GRAVITY! THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!" he yelled. "I'm not one who completely understands these things, but i do know that if anyone had that amount of pressure on them, they'd be instantly squished."

Gohan shrugged, "Well if you don't believe me.. you'll have to watch him for yourself sometime."

"What about you?" the blue eyed teen asked, still in disbelief.

"Hmmm i don't really know, i've never tested it out fully. If i went all out right now... maybe 480, 490 in my transformed state. At my second level i'm not really sure..." he trailed off.

The wide eyed Naruto burst out laughing. When he saw the serious look on his best friend's face he stopped as his mouth hit the deck, gaping in absolute awe, "Y-you're serious... Kuso! You Saiyans really are something..."

"You wanna give it a whirl? Should be great practice." The tall teen asked.

"Of course!" responded the now eager Naruto.

"Ok then, we'll start low and work our way up..."

**-: End Flashback :-**

"Yup, she built us a Gravity Room to train in!" he answered clicking the capsule and throwing several metres away. From the huge amounts of smoke created stood a large dome like structure with a small extension at the side.

Naruto could hardly believe his eyes, Bulma once again outdid herself. "B-but how did she fit that enormous building into that tiny capsule!" he queried disbelievingly.

"Hey, you learn to not ask questions when Bulma works her magic, its better that way... for everyone." The Half-Sayian laughed. As they walked up to the GR, it appeared that the rectangular shaped extension was the way in. "So it looks like she's made a few improvements to the old one. This should be fun."

Opening the door, the two stepped inside. The room had everything; storage space, equipment, food, training clothes and even a shower to refresh. To his right, Naruto found what looked like the controls to adjust the gravity along with a small window. Peering through, Naruto gasped. The actual GR itself was gigantic, at least twice as big as the old one.

"Wow, that's huge! Come on lets get in there!" he said excitedly.

"Well we may aswell change our clothes into these provided." Gohan replied whilst changing into the Saiyan style outfits.

Naruto raised an eyebrow along with the suit, "Aren't these what Vegeta wears all the time?"

"Heh yeah, its true they do provide more protection, but when faced with a strong opponent, it won't really matter. He probably made Bulma make them for him." After exchanging their clothes for some Sayian attire, the pair walked back over to the control panel, "So Naruto, your highest Gravity level last time was... 125 right?" He earned a nod from his friend. "Ok then, we'll start from 50 and work our way up."

Agreeing, the two brothers set the controls and walked into the GR. Feeling the pressure on him, Naruto hunched ever so slightly and fought against it, also cancelling the Henge. Gohan, who felt nothing, went off to another part without hesitation to warm up.

* * *

The flickering light of a candle licked against the darkness which filled the large room. An outline of a lone body could barely be seen, his head faced the floor below as he sat on the edge of a wall with two large yellow slit eyes hovering above. Faint footsteps sounded in the distance, gradually increasing in volume as they came closer. His head suddenly jerked up. A pair of red eyes with 3 black dots gazed upon the two that had entered the room and slowly narrowed. 

"Where have you been? You are supposed to be teaching me a new jutsu Orochimaru, or did you forget?" the sitting figure asked in a cold, flat tone.

"Heh, pleasant as ever i see Sasuke-kun." the snake Sannin replied. His second in command, Kabuto, stood next to him and pushed up his glasses. "Unfortunately i cannot teach you today, or for the next few weeks. Plans have been set in place which must be carried out on a strict deadline if Konoha is to fall.

The Uchiha raised an eyebrow, "You are attacking Konoha again...? When was i going to be informed of this development?"

"You are not needed in Orochimaru-sama's strategy Sasuke; it has already been prepared for." Kabuto answered for his master.

"Though Konoha is weak, it will not fall for a frontal assault like last time. They held off two villages back then, even if they did loose their Sandamine Hokage." The Sharingan wielder stated.

Licking his lips Orochimaru grinned, "Ah, but this time i have four villages to aid me against the Village of the Leaf. This time, it is certain to fall, especially in a surprise attack from all directions."

The Uchiha didn't care what the snake had planned; all he wanted was the power to defeat his brother. By learning from Orochimaru he could one day achieve his ambition and avenge his clan, only then would he rest. "Very well, but i expect to be compensated for this."

"Kukukuk, where are your manners my young apprentice?" The Sannin chuckled, "Of course i will indeed advance your training once i have returned. But for now you must train yourself until i am back." With that he and Kabuto turned and walked back the way they came.

Sasuke's head fell to the floor once again. He slowly began to remember his 'Village' and all the missions with Team 7.

'_Naruto... Sakura..._'

As quickly as the thoughts entered, he pushed them away and out of his head. Only one thing mattered to him now; the death of Itachi.

* * *

After a successful warm-up, Gohan had increased the gravity to 100. They had engaged in a routine spar to begin with and had now advanced to a more aggressive state. Continuous punches and kicks were hurled at the other, but every dodged with ease. The ground was useful to train and improve Taijutsu, but in real combat it restricted the space in which to fight and there were fewer areas to attack from. 

Naruto finally took the fight to the air. Gohan followed and the battle continued.

**-: Flashback :-**

"Now that Naruto has got the hang of releasing his Ki, the next step we'll take is to learn how to fly. Remember, just use your energy... and be careful." Gohan stated with a hint of worry in his tone.

"Yay!" Exclaimed Goten as he bounced up and down in an attempt to fly.

"Sweet!" shouted Naruto copying his younger friend.

The Z warrior looked puzzled, "No, no, no you guys! Hopping and flying are two different things. Use your energy to lift you." he said with clarity in his voice.

The blonde teen and black haired boy fell silent in concentration. A few grunts later, Goten floated off the ground followed closely by Naruto. The two jiggled from side to side as they tried to control the amount of Ki being released.

After a few hours, a lot of patience and many failures later, they had finally managed to take charge of using their Ki to lift them through the air. "Woah! This is so cool!" The young blonde shouted as he flew overhead.

Goten flapped his arms whilst in the air, "I'm a birdy! A birdy!"

Gohan smiled, "Good you two, keep up the practice and soon you'll be able to do it without thinking."

**-: End Flashback :-**

Fists collided, sending shock waves throughout the GR. Though the punches and kicks were no where near a fraction of their true power, a dangerous amount could still be felt. They continued at this pace for a few good hours until Gohan finally ended it with a kick to Naruto's back, sending him crashing to the ground. Slowly lifting himself and his torn clothing up, the blonde brushed off the dirt and breathed heavily.

The Half-Saiyan landed beside him also a little out of breath and clothes ripped. "Come on Naruto, i think we've done enough for today and we don't want any injuries before tomorrow."

"Heh, afraid i would have beaten you?" the younger chuckled. "I guess your right. We should be getting back, our clones are probably bored out of their minds meditating all day whilst being watched by those baka ANBU!" With that, the two casually walked to the exit and switched off the GR.

Some time later, they had changed back into their Grass Ninja attire and Naruto had performed the Henge once more. Gohan pressed the button on the outside of the building and recovered the capsule, putting it in his pocket. He turned to his friend in the hopes of an answer which had been plaguing his mind for a few hours.

"Hey Naruto... who is that person you're Henged as?" Gohan asked.

The now black haired Naruto looked himself over, "Oh, its just one of my class mates at school. He looked right for this mission of ours." he said whilst they took off from the ground.

The Z warrior laughed as they flew back to Konoha, "I see, well let's get going... I'm hungry!"

**

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End Chapter Notes**

One thing i really.. really couldn't be bothered finding was the pig's name - it sounded right... please don't hate me.

Read-Review Thankyou!

Next up: The Jounin exams begin!

See you next time!


	8. Interlude: Author's Notes

**Interlude**

**_Author's Notes_**

Hey everyone, thanks for keeping with me and my Fic. Just past 8000 hits the other day and very pleased!

Sorry to all who thought this was a new chapter and are a little mad, I know i would be. However, due to being at Uni now with a faulty laptop that decides to crash and lag to death every time i put it on, i'm having to type this on the home computer while it's been sent off for repair.

The chapter itself is nearly complete and should be up in two weeks or so upon return. Plus i'm thinking of doing a Bleach fic too... still unsure.

Just wanted to let everyone know i haven't abandoned this Fic.

Thanks,

Mark.


	9. Jounin Exams Part 1

**Disclaimer:** I don't own either Naruto or Dragonball Z.

**Notes:** Thanks to all for the reviews and support.

I know i haven't updated in a long while due to Uni stuff going on etc, but i finally got another chapter up. Yay!

And yes the pig's name is TonTon, sorry about that.

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Dialogue: 

"talking" - normal speech

_'In italics' _- thoughts

**: Flashback :**

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**Jounin Exams - Part 1**

12 Shinobi from the Leaf gathered just inside the entrance of the exam building. Around them stood other Chuunin ranked Ninja from their own Village and others. Surprisingly, there weren't that many taking the exam compared to that of the Chuunin assesment. Only 2 other Leaf teams besides them were present accompanied by 3 sets of Sand Ninja, 2 Mist, a single Waterfall and Rain team. The 12 had been there for roughly 15 minutes already in anticipation of the first test.

"... and so we completed our 6th A ranked mission with Kurenia-sensei!" The red marked male shouted as he patted his dog, Akamaru, who had now stood at half the height of him.

Hinata gave a small smile, "Yes, it was indeed tough, but we worked through it as a team." Shino stood just behind the two and gave a trademark nod. The rest of the group congratulated their friends on another successful mission. "So what do you think of the competition?" she added.

Sakura smiled, turning to face her fellow Kunoichi, "Not too bad, it could be worse. The Sand look like they maybe quite tough aswell as that Rain team over their, other than that i don't think there's much too worry about. What do you guys think?"

Lee perked his head up and spoke, "Hey, have any of you come across the Grass Ninja yet?" He asked, addressing Kakashi's and Kurenia's teams. After a moment of thought, all shook their heads but Sakura.

"Yeah, i saw them when they first came to sign in for the Jounin assessment at the Hokage Tower." she started. "I went into Tsunade-sama's office to bring her the next batch of paperwork for her to complete and there they were. Why, is there a problem?" the pink haired girl questioned. The others who had not been aware of any Grass Ninja till now leaned in slightly with curiosity.

"If this exam involves anything like the second part of the Chuunin assessment, whatever you do, try and keep away from them at all times. They're extremely dangerous, at least in Taijutsu." He stated with heavy caution.

Sai raised an eyebrow, "Taijutsu? But the Grass aren't even that adept in Hand to Hand combat. They rely on Ninjutsu more than anything else." he declared with a hint of experience in his voice.

"Well, two day's ago i challenged one of them to a Taijutsu match since he disrespected Gai-sensei!" Lee explained. Everyone rolled their eyes knowing the slightest insult to Maito Gai set him off, "He accepted and we began. However, i was overconfident and severely underestimated him. My best attacks didn't even faze, let alone hit him and he was able to defeat me in a single blow!" Distressed the green spandex wearing Chuunin, bowing his head in defeat.

A mix of disbelief washed through each of those that hadn't witnessed it. When they saw the others who had watched the fight nod their heads with slight fear in their eyes, the 6 Leaf were shocked.

"What! That's impossible you're the fastest of us all and you lost to the guy in your special area!" Kiba announced.

Zak, Sakura's newest team-mate after Sai, too couldn't believe it, "Hey, I'm still the new guy here an' all, but even i know that you're the fastest of all the Chuunins in the Leaf. When i saw you and Gai-sensei train a few months back i couldn't even trace your movements, its not possible for another of Chuunin level to match you in speed!" He exasperated, now a little worried.

"Gai-sensei is the fastest person in all of Konoha and no doubt one of the quickest in all the Countries!" Lee boasted with a youth of passion. "But even he was amazed at the Grass Ninja's speed and couldn't keep up with him. Right now, Hokage-sama has instructed two ANBU to watch them during the exam." Lee retorted.

Neji, who had been silent through the whole conversation took a small step forward and unfolded his arms, "It is true. Even with the use of the Byakugan, i could not follow his movements. However when i looked at them before the fight began i saw something that shocked even Hokage-sama." he added.

"What is it?" Sakura asked nervously.

Ino cut in before him, "The chakra amount in their bodies. From what Neji described it's non-existent compared to that of a normal Shinobi!"

Hinata was the most suprised as this new revelation stunned the others even more. "Do we know anything about them? What are their names, we may have heard of the in our travels." She inquired.

"Theres only 2 of them on the team." replied the laziest of the group, hoping with every fibber in his body that this exam wasn't going to be as troublesome as he knew it would be. "The leader of the two is named Teliac and the other is called Inuzu, who fought Lee."

Not having heard the names before, Kiba flung his arms to the air in anger, "What! I thought that Chuunins from each country could only enter with 3 to a team in this exam?"

"Yeah, but like i told Ino, Hokage-sama also said that if special circumstances came up then a team could be enter with less members if they still wished to participate. Was i the only one listening at the time?" The tubbiest responded.

Sai chuckled happily, "I'm surprised you were listening at all, i only ever see you ea-" he was quickly cut in and stopped by Sakura and Ino, covering the art ninja's mouth.

"What Sai means is that... you're.. eh.. great... yeah great at taking in key details, right Sai." Sakura said and he nodded dumbly before they released him.

"Well, whatever their 'case' maybe, they're dangerous, so be careful." Lee summed up as the rest agreed.

At that moment the 2 Grass Shinobi walked through exam door and into the building. All eyes from every team turned and gazed upon them as they looked around, inspecting the room full of Ninja. Gohan had been dreading something like this and a mix of frustration and annoyance showed as he turned to the 'Henged' Naruto who was smiling away with delight. The Z warrior knew this was the tip of the iceberg and that somehow, his best friend would always managed to land them in these types of situations from the first time they'd met. "Look what you've done Naruto." he whispered, "Now everyone is going to be suspicious of us through this whole thing! I can't believe you talked me into this." Gohan frowned.

"Oh come on Gohan, we're just getting to the fun part. I want to see how everyone's changed and 'hopefully' progressed since i last saw them. Plus, i think a little revenge on these pieces of trash for isolating and treating me like shit all those years wouldn't go a miss." He replied slowly spinning to his now stricken friend. "You know i won't hurt them too much, i just want to show them how foolish and uncaring they've been."

Still sceptical, Gohan new his brother in spirit had a valid point. The way Naruto had relayed how they; his so called closest friends and the whole village, had done nothing but hurt and abuse him his whole life. True, the Kyuubi had been the sole reason for this and after Naruto had told him how it destroyed Konoha along with over half the population, the Yondaime Hokage had sealed it into him. Naruto never knew why the man had chosen him and had had to live with it his whole life. It was easy to see how people blamed the one thing that imprisoned it the so called 'Demon Fox'. However, anyone with half a brain could see that the young blonde wasn't the 'Demon' that everyone thought of him as. Fortunately, with that being said, it wasn't the case anymore, he'd personaly seen to that...

The doors at the end of the room slowly opened revealing a group of people coming through. All the Chuunin Ninjas in the room turned to find the Gondaime Hokage of the Leaf leading out Jounin examiners. They walked over to a small stage that lifted them above the crowd that had gathered before them. Tsunade stepped forward onto it and took a deep breath.

"Welcome to the Konoha Jounin exams! I am glad to still see many from different countries are still able to participate in this time of war between nations." she spoke as her eyes swept over the Ninjas below her, finally resting her gaze on the two Grass Ninja. Tsunade narrowed them quickly before returning to her glances. A small smirk crept up on Naruto's face. "In this exam there are 3 sections you must clear in order to become a Jounin of your respective country. If you fail at the first then you will be out and asked to stay in Konoha until the remaining have completed the exam. Only 4 of you will become Jounins after this." She declared, hitting home the seriousness of the exam.

'_Simple enough, most likely each section will test attributes of a Chuunin to show that they are ready to advance or not._' Naruto thought.

"For the first exam, each team has been selected an Instructor." The Hokage said glancing at the Jounins beside her. "They will now come to you and lead to a separate training field. Good luck to all!" she ended and stepped off the stand. With that, the Jounin Instructors behind her came forward and approached each team. The duo inspected the one they had been given as he came closer. He was not that much taller than Gohan and had dark brown hair that extended of the sides of his face. He wore the trademark Jounin Leaf vest and had the usual bluey-black fully clothed undergarments. A few scars could be seen across his face and as he came closer the two observed the cold stares he was imparting to them.

Finally, he stood before the two companions. "I'm Reikar, your examiner for the first part of the test. You two! Follow me!" he spat with malice in his voice. Raising an eyebrow, Naruto held back both the urge to laugh or just put him out of his misery. He couldn't decide between the two. Gohan on the other hand was baffled. What had they done to this guy to make him so mean towards them? Shrugging to themselves, they followed the Instructor out of the building infront and behind other teams. Separating the from the others, the younger of the two friends saw his ex-team-mate along with the other 9 he had known once ago looking at him suspiciously. Two of them he hadn't seen before. Figuring they were Sakura's new team-mates he chuckled and gave them a dark smile, rotating away to follow the examiner with Gohan. The teams from the Leaf narrowed their eyes before they too parted ways.

After a short period of walking they eventually ended up at a Training field just off the outskirts of the forest. Knowing that what he had planned would surely send the 'vermin' that stood before him back to their evil Village, the Jounin instructor turned to meet them face to face. "For the first part of the exam, you two are to both perform same Jutsu that i ask of you to show that, being a Chuunin, you have a good general knowledge of Jutsus. Plus, this can be anything i ask of you, whether it be Taijutsu, Ninjutsu or Genjutsu." He explained. Reikar smiled as he saw the expressions on the Grass Ninja, confident his plan had already succeeded.

Naruto's eyes widened, '_Oh crap, i didn't think there would be anything like this! I suppose it's an accurate test in showing a Ninja's Jutsus practically, but since i only know a handful in Ninjutsu and absolutely zero in Genjutsu, its not likely we'll pass. This isn't good!_' Beside him Gohan was thinking along the same lines. Though he knew tons of Taijutsu, from what he had seen the styles were completely different. The one Naruto had first used when they sparred was unknown to him then and he would most likely not be able to perform any of the ones these people knew, let alone even think about attempting any Ninjutsus or Genjutsus.

Though he hated Grass Ninja for what they had done to his fellow comrades in the past, Reikar didn't know what to think of the two that stood before him. The Hokage had stated that they were dangerous and had dispatched two ANBU to watch them throughout the exam. In his eyes, either they were extremely talented to enter as a two man team instead of three, or they were just plain dumb. Since a Shinobi should expect the unexpected, he decided to go with the former, for now. '_In any case, it doesn't matter, they won't be here very long._' he thought. The rules stated that the examiner had to make them perform a Chuunin to low level Jounin techniques with most examiners asking for one of mid to high level Chuunin. However there was a clear loophole that could be exploited and had been from time to time in the past when this assessment had been used before. Nowhere did it state that the Jutsu must not be a forbidden one, or one that the home village had created and was more likely to know. He had the perfect one in mind.

"You two are to do the Kage Bushin no Jutsu and create 10 Kage Bushins each." he said with a grin, hands at his sides.

With a quick glance the two couldn't believe their luck. Neither arguing or replying, instead Naruto and Gohan both performed the seal in the intention of showing that they needed to put some effort into the Jutsu, and suddenly 20 Kage Bushins 'poofed' into existence behind them. The clones started running around some taking up fighting stances and sparing with others, proving that they were indeed solid copies. The jutsu was one of the very few Naruto knew and had taught to Gohan.

The Jounin examiner along with the two ANBU hidden in the trees were truly shocked. It wasn't possible for Chuunins from other countries to know that Jutsu unless they had seen it before and studied it from the forbidden scrolls in the Hokage Tower, let alone most Chuunins from the Leaf. Enraged his plan had failed, Reikar had to accept that they had passed the test. If he made them do another he would most likely get into trouble with the Hokage since they could report the incident after knowing the rules.

He cursed himself for not anticipating this turn of events in the first place. He was so confident his plan would work that there was no need for a contingency plan. The two infront gave him sheepish smiles as he grunted in annoyance and they dispelled the clones. After the surprise he had just witnessed, Reikar could tell that they were indeed strong and it wouldn't be a wise option to go any further, especially with the watching ANBU keeping tabs which Tsunade had placed on them.

"Ok, you have passed the first part of the test, you are to report to the exam office in one hour to receive the next section of the exam." he ended by brushing past them and walking off to the Hokage Tower to inform her of the results.

When he was out of hearing range they breathed a huge sigh of relief. "That was close, we were lucky that he asked us to perform that Jutsu. That guy would probably know loads of Jutsus since he's an examiner, i wonder why he made us do that one?" Gohan questioned.

"Heh, who knows, just don't think about it. We got lucky, it never hurts to have some now and then as we both know." he said receiving a small smile from his friend. "In any case, want to grab a bite to eat before we have to go back?"

"Sure, lead the way." the dark black haired teen responded as they walked back to the village.

* * *

After an hour or so had past, the two warriors made their way back to the exam building. Stepping inside, they found the room to contain the same number of Ninja from the last time and furthermore, they had all gathered in roughly the same places. 

Naruto paused for a minute after catching a few glares from his old team-mates and others. '_Huh, déjà-vu? How did everyone else manage to stay in? If they had been given a Jounin level Technique to do like we did, then there's no way everyone would have passed. Especially since it was a forbidden one at that. Hmm, i sense a bit of rule bending going on here. Oh well, i guess whatever it was worked in our favour._' ending his trail of thought with a smirk.

Over on the other side, the 12 from the Leaf were stunned to find the Grass Ninja walking through the door. From what Neji had seen and told them it was impossible for the two Shinobi to still be here, unless they had been given Taijutsu to perform. Apart from that, there was no way that they could have passed the first test.

"Hey, i thought you said those two couldn't pull off any Ninjutsu or Genjutsu?" Sakura questioned.

"I don't understand, Lee was able to pass since he is a special case from the rest of us because his speed, stamina and strength make up for his lack of Ninjutsu and Genjustu. Also partially because this test is in Konoha and he is a Leaf Ninja." he explained, "However, it is not possible for those two since they have little to no chakra and they would not have been allowed Lee's treatment."

Kiba huffed in annoyance, "Whatever, i'm sure they just got lucky."

The door in the corner once again opened and Tsunade came out, followed by the Jounin examiners. She stood on the small platform overlooking the Ninja before her and smiled at all the Leaf Shinobi. "Well done to all for passing the first test!" the old woman beamed. "However, the 2nd part of the exam will be more difficult. Each team has been assigned an A rank mission from their own respective country that does not conflict with the host nation, in this case; the Leaf."

Naruto narrowed his eyes, '_So, this one is to test teamwork and leadership skills eh? I wonder what the Grass wants us to do. The quicker we get it done the quicker we'll be back. I hope it doesn't involve killing innocents, not that i wouldn't mind taking out some Ninja from an enemy nation. Meh, killing a few of these heartless bitches wouldn't go amiss either._'

The Hokage finally continued, "Before you take this mission you are to first accept it by signing these documents." as she waved them in her hand, "By doing so it will ensure that we; Konoha, are not responsible, nor accountable for your safety for the rest of the exam."

The two companions noted a stiffening of a few in the room. Giving each other a quick glance and nod, they immediately walked over and wrote down their 'borrowed' names on the sheet of paper. Finishing, they saw the glares everyone one in the room was giving them. Holding back another laugh, Naruto walked to his previous position with Gohan trailing and rubbing the back of his neck. '_Kuso, why do they keep looking at me, what did i do now?_' the older teen thought.

After all other Chuunins had finished with the paperwork; Tsunade cleared her throat once more and addressed the small crowd again, "Your previous instructors will now give you your assignments. For an A rank mission in this test, you will have exactly 1 week to complete the given objective. The time will begin from the moment you are handed the information. Once again, i wish you all he very best of luck." with that she stepped off the small stage and made her way back into the room from where she came.

Reikar slowly walked to them. He appeared to be resisting the urge to attack the two posing Grass Ninja and instead threw the folder of information at them aiming for Gohan's head. A normal person wouldn't have been able to react in time, but being Gohan he caught the collection of data between his index and middle finger in the blink of an eye, just before it came into contact with his face. As he brought it down, the Jounin's and everyone else's eyes widened and jaws dropped in shock at how fast he caught it. Naruto tried his hardest to keep a serious face. Flashing a smile the Z warrior spoke "Hey, thanks for this." as he gently waffed it about.

"Ugh... s-sure... kid." Reikar mumbled still in awe. He quickly made his way to the door to follow Tsunade.

Turning around the tall teen opened it and took out the first sheet of paper. Naruto peeled over his shoulder to read it himself.

_Teliac, Inuzu, Kaalin,_

_I am pleased you were successful in the first test. Your A rank mission is simple: _

_You are to assassinate a Jounin Spy from Sunagakure who infiltrated our ranks sometime ago. Recently we have found out his deception and before we could capture him, the weasel fled our village in what we believe an attempt to give vital information to Suna about current 'activities' we are involved in._

_Enclosed, you will find his picture and name. He was last reported moving through the Rain country and nearing the Wind border. You must complete this mission at ALL cost or our goals will be ruined. You know what is at stake.  
_

_Do not fail me,_

**_Nidaime Ichobokage_**

Gohan took out the image of a man in his early 20's with short brown hair wearing the Grass Shinobi Uniform. Nothing stood out about him, indicating he was indeed a good spy to blend in so well. Underneath was information about his name; Sato Ketsou, and various assignments and positions he had been involved in before he fled. "So the Ichibokage is entrusting us to do this? I'm guessing the data this guy is carrying could be to do with the upcoming attack?" he asked is a whisper.

"Yeah, looks that way. For anyone else it would be quite difficult since he has nearly crossed into the Wind Country already. But a week for _us _to do this, damn, i think we could do it in about an hour tops." Naruto boasted tilting his head to see the other Chuunins in the room talk to each other about their own set mission.

"I don't even know where any of that is but if you say so. You'll have to lead the way." Gohan replied.

"Yeah that's fine. Its a good thing Jiraiya showed me each country and it's whereabouts afterall. Our best bet is to track him somewhere near the border of the country. Come on lets get on it now, i'd like to get back before nightfall."

The two headed out the door before anyone had noticed and made a light jog to the Gate. There they showed the papers for the exam to the same guards that had been on duty when they arrived a few days ago. Acknowledging the mission, the guards let them pass and the duo walked out of Konoha and down the road.

Knowing that they were still being followed by the two ANBU, the possing Grass Ninja picked up their extremely slow pace a little whilst moving west bound in the direction on Suna's North East border, jumping through the tall trees. They had shaken off their trailers instantly and with this knowledge the two leapt into the air and were on their way.

Travelling at a slow pace, they arrived at the border just after 15 minutes. The brothers landed gracefully and saw there was a small town nearby. They followed the path and made their way to it. Once their, they looked around. People where busy going about their daily lives and a few children where playing in the street. Gohan noticed what appeared to be a hotel of sorts on the corner of the road.

"Hey, there looks like some sort of shelter for people to stay over there Naruto." Gohan said to his friend.

"Yeah good idea, if he did stop here it would be likely that he stayed there for the night to rest. I'll go see if i can get any information, you can stay here if you want."

"Sure." The Z warrior responded as he watched Naruto enter the building.

The place itself was old and dirty and had a number of cracks running through both the inner and outer layers. The 'Henged' blonde made his way over to the counter where there was a woman receptionist at work in the hopes of acquiring the whereabouts of the Suna spy.

Outside, Gohan stood looking around the small town; it was peaceful and full of life. Relaxing, he leaned on a street lamp and closed his eyes. The sounds of birds singing, children laughing and playing were those that he favoured the most. It always seemed when they had defeated an enemy, a stronger, more evil one would rise to take it's place. He'd learned by now to enjoy these times of peace and with the help of Goten and Naruto he'd realised that he had to sacrifice some things and keep training in order to protect what he loved.

Suddenly a smashing of glass echoed and shouting could be heard. Opening his eyes, Gohan saw a man scrambling out of a nearby store with a sack in his hand. Not wasting anytime, the youth bounded over to him and in a split second stood in his way. Looking behind him; the thief had been busy watching if he was being chased and unexpectedly careered into Gohan's chest, sending him flying back to the ground.

Shaking himself off, the man got to his feet and gritted his teeth, "Hey boy!" he seethed taking out a small dagger. "You shouldn't have got in my way like that, now you'll pay with your life!" he lunged at Gohan in an attempt to stab him in the stomach. The Z warrior didn't move. All that was heard was a sound of metal breaking. As the small time robber stood with his hand outstretched, holding the knife, the metal end crumbled into pieces and hit the floor with soft clinging sounds. Retracting the handle and instantly dropping it to the ground, the thief started shaking widening both his mouth and eyes simultaneously in fear. "W-wh... what are... you?" he stumbled in awe as he backed up from Gohan, who still hadn't moved. As he tried to run in the opposite direction, the man was quickly put down with a swift blow to the back of the head as the teen grabbed him by his clothes, lifting him up.

Witnesses started talking in the distance and the shopkeeper came staggering out through the broken glass window the thief had just made in an attempt to escape. Inside the hotel, Naruto had just finished gathering information on the Ninja they were looking for. Coming out, he found Gohan holding up a man in his late 40's. Walking over he gave his friend a puzzled look. "What happened here?" he asked.

"Oh, this man tried to rob this store." he responded, turning to the man that was looking at him with gazing looks. "Here you go Mister, i don't know who and where the local authorities are, but this man won't be waking up any time soon." Gohan said, handing over the sack the theif had been carrying.

"T-thank y-you stranger!" he cried.

"Think nothing of it. Anyone else would have done the same." he rubbed the back of his head in shyness. He turned to Naruto, "So, was he there?"

"No, but he had stayed here last night. From the Grass to the Sand Village, it would take him about 3-4 days to reach his destination." he explained. "Taking that into account, it doesn't look like we have much time to catch up to him. We'll have to be quick and fly in a straight line to the Sand Village to see if we can spot him on the way. I guess it isn't a A-rank mission for nothing."

Gohan nodded, "Right then, let's go." The two vanished kicking up a dust of wind where they once where. The surrounding people along with the shopkeeper dropped what they were carrying in pure astonishment. As the frantically looked around, no one could find the two indviduals anywhere in sight.

Above, Naruto and Gohan shot through the air with lightining speed, continuing on their travel to find the Sand spy. "I'm suprised you didn't find the urge to shout your usual catchphrase and strike a few poses just before you stopped that guy." The blonde snickered.

"Hey, I promised you i wouldn't do that here, and besides i don't have my costume, nor do the people here know 'Saiyaman'." Gohan laughed, uping their speed.

* * *

In the clear blue skies roughly 3 miles up from the ground below, the fighters spotted a single figure darting through the barren sand filled desert. Descending for closer inspection, they noticed the individual was wearing the Grass uniform, just like their's with the alterations making him a Jounin to their Chuunin. "That looks like our guy, what do you want to do now?" Gohan inquired. 

Naruto pondered for a moment, "I'll go infront and you take up the rear. Though it won't really matter since he isn't going anywhere."

"Ok then, i'll follow your lead."

Meanwhile, the unexpecting Suna Ninja was bounding across his homeland as fast as he could. Any mistakes at this point would cost him his life and he needed to give the Kazekage the information he had acquired. Needless pit-stops for rests or distractions would give the Grass Ninja that were no doubt on his tail, a chance to catch up. As he leaped onto another dune and took off over it with one foot, a sudden blur appeared before him, just infront of where he was due to land. Unfortunately he couldn't turn or stop himself in mid-air and as he landed the figure came into view. He stopped as hit the ground, heart racing faster and faster. The person in front of him was wearing a Chuunin Grass Shinobi uniform, but he didn't recognise the Ninja. Not sensing anyone else around, the Suna Shinobi sighed in partial relief, it could have been much worse. He took up a fighting pose in the attempt to defeat his adversary quickly before reinforcements could arrive on the scene. What happened next shocked him.

"Um... hi" the teen before him said, in a weird, friendly way. Puzzled, Sato didn't know what to do next. What was going on? Before he had a chance to respond in any way, the Grass Ninja before him took a step forward. "Don't worry, we're not going to hurt you, we just want to talk, that's all." Catching on fast, Sato spun around to see an additional form a few paces behind him. It was another Grass Chuunin! It was impossible, he hadn't sensed his approach, nor heard him sneak up. Ever the cautious one, the Suna Jounin kept up his guard as he turned sideways in order to be able to see them both.

"What's to talk about? I know very well what you two are doing here. Do you really think a couple of low class Grass Chuunins can defeat me?!" he spat, playing the intimidation card.

Naruto raised an eyebrow at this, "Hey, hey now lets not get off to the wrong foot here shall we." he said, as he searched through his trouser pocket. Sato immediately saw an opening and decided to attack him. In the few second it would have taken to deliver a punch to his enemy's face, the Suna Shinobi was stopped in mid-air. Confused, he couldn't fathom what just transpired. He struggled to turn his neck around only to see the other Grass Ninja had a hold of him. His eyes widened. It was inconceivable, no one could move that fast! Not just that, but also his grip was monstrously strong. Squirming to pry himself loose, Sato eventually began to fatigue from trying so hard, but still, the teen wouldn't budge an inch. Gritting his teeth in anger, he knew this was the end. He closed his eyes ready for the inevitable strike.

"You know you shouldn't jump to conclusions so much." the teen before him spoke, "Something like that could cost you your life. Luckily for you we're not in the business of senseless killing." The smaller declared, finally digging out the papers in his pocket. "Thank-you Gohan. You can let him go now." He ended.

Acknowledging, the Z warrior released his iron grip on Sato, put him down slowly and took a few steps back rubbing his neck once more, "Sorry about that." he apologised.

Panting heavily, the Suna Ninja gazed at the posed Shinobi infront of him with a bewildered look. "W-why didn't you kill me?" he questioned in fear.

"Ah, i told you didn't i? We're not into the senseless killing stuff, especially to the man we'll be trading information with." Naruto answered back casually.

Now completely dumbfounded as to what was going on, Sato didn't know what to say. "Um... what?" was all he could muster.

"Come on now don't be shy. Here, catch... oh and you can keep the pictures." The 'henged' blonde said as he threw him the mission documents they had been given. Catching them, the Suna Ninja read through slowly, taking everything in. Finally he looked up to Naruto, around to Gohan and then back to Naruto.

"I don't understand, you're supposed to kill me... yet you haven't. Why?" he queried.

The younger fighter folded his arms and smiled. "See, that's the good part!"

* * *

Sato turned to contemplate what had been a very unexpected conversation indeed. A cool wind filled with traces of dust gently brushed by the trio. The young man sighed as he circled back around. "I see. And you are sure this is what the Hokage requested?" a nod of heads gave him the answer he sought. "Still, it's very risky, how can we be sure the Mizukage will keep his end of the deal?" the Suna Ninja asked with deep hesitation. 

"Because he owes us, big-time." responded the smaller ninja. "Don't worry Sato, you can be sure that everything will go according to plan. Tell the Kazekage what we told you and we can put an end to this war once and for all!" Naruto announced with resolution in his voice. Gohan meanwhile gave his usual sceptical look as he massaged his brow. This 'made-up' story of Naruto's was going to end badly, he just knew it. Why he was agreeing it, he would never know.

Still in two minds, the Suna Ninja accepted the new mission he had been given. As he turned to leave however, a shuriken darted just past the side of his face, impairing him once more. "Wha-" he was cut off by another who was standing on a sand dune just to the west of his position.

"So we found you at last Sato! We will deal with you shortly." The figure wore the same garments as him, except he was much taller and broader with a Blue band tied at his waist. Part of it was dangling down his left leg. As he took a step forward, another person could be seen behind him. This one was somewhat shorter, roughly the same height as himself. He too wore the same clothes as the last, but displayed a Red band instead. He moved forward, past his larger partner and set his sights on the posing Grass Ninja. Stunned into silence Sato was unable to move as he came closer.

"We came to make sure that those three did not fail in their test, but it seems we were to late. You two! I don't know who you are, but you aren't Ninja of the Grass. What have you done with Teliac, Inuzu and Kaalin!!" the red band wearing Ninja demanded, outstretching his arm and pointing at them.

Naruto tilted his head and rolled his eyes, "Finally! Do you know how hard it is distinguishing one weakling from the next when your not in a close proximity? I'm still learning here you know!"

"What?!" The larger started chuckling. "Y-you think you sensed us when we were tracking you from miles behind? What kind of bull is that?!" the man exploded into a frenzy of laughs.

"Well yeah, i sensed you about 20 minutes ago actually, but this guy here..." The younger fighter pointed to Gohan,"... he probably sensed you long before that. Right Gohan?" receiving a nod from his fellow brother.

"Uh.. yeah, but i didn't think anyone with such a weak power level would be any concern." he responded innocently.

Naruto sighed, "See?" he exasperated throwing up his arms.

By now, Sato had come out of his initial shock and ran in between Gohan and Naruto. "What are you doing!" he whispered with fear resounding throughout his words. "Don't you know who those guys are?! They're part of the Grass' Elite Unit. The bands signify their hierarchy with Red being the second most poweful! We are so screwed!" Sato panicked.

"Listen you! No little punk bitch is gonna stand there and insult us like that." the taller man roared. Enraged, the Ninja started on a set of hand seals. Moments into the second seal he felt a something press against his back. Spinning his head to find the cause, the Blue band wearing Ninja's eyes widened in astonishment. The cocky young impostor had an outstretched hand firmly on his back. Before he had the chance to react a blinding light engulfed him. Instantly he was evaporated by the intensity of the energy beam which extended over the wasteland's horizon.

When the radiance finally stopped, there was no trace that the man had ever existed except for the footprints he had left in the sand. Resting his hand back down to his side, Naruto turned to the other Elite Jounin who had been frozen from what had just occurred before his eyes.

Naruto's body position relaxed once more, "Sorry about your friend there, but we couldn't let him leave. Besides, we only need one of you to take back with us, and you fit the bill more than he did." shrugging his shoulders.

The red band Grass Ninja attempted to back up a few paces, which was all he was able to do. "W-wha... impossib-" unfortunately he was cut off as Gohan delivered a blow to the back of his neck, throwing the unconscious ninja over his shoulder.

"Hmmm, this is becoming quite the habit for me." Gohan sighed.

Laughing, Naruto turned back to Sato who was now gawking in total shock. "Hey, we'll take him back in place of you if that's ok, it makes it easier on both of us." The 'henged' blonde explained.

The Suna Shinobi was to busy trying to process everything, "W-wha.. ho..w... wh..." he trailed off.

"... ok then, we'll be heading off now. Remember we're relying on you to get that information to the Kazekage. Well, see you!" and with a nod of the head from both fighters, Gohan and Naruto lifted gently into the air. Suddenly, they shot up into the sky once more, blowing a huge amount of sand around for miles as they disappeared.

Sato had seen many things in his life, but the events that had just taken place took the biscuit. After a few minutes of glaring, he attempted to stand after being propelled back by the huge energy force. Suppressing the disbelief as best he could, he carried on to The Village Hidden in the Sand with new found information.

* * *

**End Chapter Notes**

**_Ichibokage - _**meaning 'Grass'-kage... i think, or something to that effect if not. Correct me if need be.

Hmm... pairings you say. I've got what i want down, unless you reviewers all want the same thing. Oh and if so this is a **NO** yaio fic!

Anyway, Read-Review Thankyou!

Oh and check out my Bleach fic through my profile if you like that anime (shameless self promotion)

Hope you all had a Merry Christmas and have a Happy New Year! See you next time for more Jounin examage!


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